Getty Image
Earlier today, Drake filed a defamation lawsuit against his label, Universal Music Group, a day after withdrawing his previous information request. In the lawsuit, he claims that UMG hyped up Kendrick Lamar’s diss song “Not Like Us,” in order to devalue his own music and gain leverage in future contract negotiations. Among other claims on the song, “Not Like Us” is notable for its “certified pedophile” and “A minor” lyrics, which appear to accuse Drake of sexual misconduct.
In response, UMG has issued a statement calling Drake’s claims “illogical” and reframing the suit as an attempt to prevent Kendrick from performing “Not Like Us” and profiting from the two rappers’ feud. “Not only are these claims untrue, but the notion that we would seek to harm the reputation of any artist — let alone Drake — is illogical,” it reads. “We have invested massively in his music and our employees around the world have worked tirelessly for many years to help him achieve historic commercial and personal financial success.”
The statement continues, “Throughout his career, Drake has intentionally and successfully used UMG to distribute his music and poetry to engage in conventionally outrageous back-and-forth ‘rap battles’ to express his feelings about other artists. He now seeks to weaponize the legal process to silence an artist’s creative expression and to seek damages from UMG for distributing that artist’s music. We have not and do not engage in defamation — against any individual. At the same time, we will vigorously defend this litigation to protect our people and our reputation, as well as any artist who might directly or indirectly become a frivolous litigation target for having done nothing more than write a song.”
Drake initially hinted at planning legal action back in November, when he filed pre-action documents demanding the court order UMG to turn over any docs that could prove it had illegally promoted Kendrick’s song. To its part, UMG has maintained that everything was aboveboard, asserting that Drake’s legal arguments are nothing more than a case of sour grapes.
