Drake has escalated his ongoing legal battle against his record label, Universal Music Group (UMG), by filing defamation lawsuit against the parent record label he and rival Kendrick Lamar are signed to.
The Toronto rapper filed a federal lawsuit in the Southern District of New York on Wednesday, Jan. 15, and referred to the release of Lamar’s diss track, “Not Like Us,” as an example of ” corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists,” according to The New York Times.
In his filing, Drake’s team says the diss track aimed at the Canadian rapper spreads the “false and malicious narrative” that he is a pedophile.
“On May 4, 2024, UMG approved, published, and launched a campaign to create a viral hit out of a rap track that falsely accuses Drake of being a pedophile and calls for violent retribution against him,” the complaint reads. “Even though UMG enriched itself and its shareholders by exploiting Drake’s music for years, and knew that the salacious allegations against Drake were false, UMG chose corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists.”
The filing states that Drake is “not a pedophile” and he has “never engaged in any acts that would require him to be ‘placed on neighborhood watch’.”
“Drake has never engaged in sexual relations with a minor. Drake has never been charged with, or convicted of, any criminal acts whatsoever,” the suit reads.
The lawsuit goes on to detail a shooting at Drake’s home a few days after the song was released, resulting in a security guard being seriously injured .
“During the nearly 30 minutes it took for the ambulance to arrive, Drake and others labored to keep the man alive by applying pressure to the gunshot wound with towels. Blood was everywhere,” the filing reads.
According to the suit, nothing like that had happened to Drake or his family during the two decades that he’s been working in the music industry.
The lawsuit also states that the multiple break-in attempts on his home that happened following the release of the song were caused by UMG’s actions.
“With the palpable physical threat to Drake’s safety and the bombardment of online harassment, Drake fears for the safety and security of himself, his family, and his friends,” according to the new suit. “After the attacks on his home, Drake pulled his son out of the elementary school he attended in Toronto due to safety concerns, and once school ended for the summer, Drake arranged for his son and mother to leave Toronto entirely.”
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Drake’s team is making it known that the new lawsuit is not directed at Lamar and is clearly placing the blame on Universal for releasing, distributing and promoting the song.
“This lawsuit is not about the artist who created ‘Not Like Us,’” the suit reads. “It is, instead, entirely about UMG, the music company that decided to publish, promote, exploit, and monetize allegations that it understood were not only false, but dangerous.”
Universal distributes both Drake and Lamar’s music but the suit claims that because Drake’s current deal with the label is nearing the end of its term, the company is attempting to devalue his music and reputation in an effort to gain more-favorable terms in any renegotiation.
On Tuesday, Jan. 14, the 38-year-old rapper withdrew his legal action, backtracking on his claims that UMG and Spotify conspired to falsely boost the streaming numbers for “Not Like Us” after the allegations were denied by both companies.
In previous allegations that UMG called “ offensive and untrue ,” the filing said the record company “launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves with a song, ‘Not Like Us,’ in order to make that song go viral, including by using ‘bots’ and pay-to-play agreements.” It said the company and Spotify “have a long-standing, symbiotic business relationship” and alleges that UMG offered special licensing rates to Spotify for the song.
The petition also said UMG has fired employees seen as loyal to Drake “in an apparent effort to conceal its schemes.”
Lamar’s wildly popular single “Not Like Us,” was released in May as part of a flurry of dueling tracks by the two artists and includes the lyrics, “Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young, You better not ever go to cell block one.”
Lamar also called Drake a “colonizer” and attributed his success to the many other rappers Drake has worked with. It has become the first diss track to reach one billion streams on Spotify, according to figures listed on streaming service. It’s also nominated for five Grammy Awards, including song and record of the year.
The feud between Drake and Lamar is among the biggest in hip-hop in recent years, with two of the genre’s biggest stars at its centre.
The two were occasional collaborators more than a decade ago, but Lamar began taking public jabs at Drake starting in 2013. The fight escalated steeply earlier last year.
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If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse or is involved in an abusive situation, please visit the Canadian Resource Center for Victims of Crime for help. They are also reachable toll-free at 1-877-232-2610.
—with files from The Associated Press and Global News
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