Universal Music Group (UMG) is making headlines as they request the dismissal of Drake’s federal defamation lawsuit against the label regarding Kendrick Lamar’s hit song “Not Like Us.” In a court document, UMG claims that Drake “lost a rap battle that he provoked” and that his lawsuit is a “misguided attempt to salve his wounds.”
The recent brief dated Monday from UMG has shocked many, with the label requesting a judge to dismiss Drake’s defamation case. According to the complaint, Drake is being accused of suing his record label in an attempt to heal his wounds rather than gracefully accepting defeat.
Drake is currently represented by Republic Records, a branch of UMG, while Kendrick Lamar, not directly involved in the case, is represented by Interscope Records, another UMG company.
In response to UMG’s request, Mike Gottlieb, Drake’s principal lawyer, condemned the move as a “desperate ploy” to evade accountability. He stated, “UMG is trying to distract shareholders, artists, and the public from the truth: a greedy company profiting from dangerous misinformation.”
The feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar dates back to the previous year when they traded barbs in their lyrics with intimate and unverified insults. The crux of the complaint revolves around Lamar’s song “Not Like Us,” where he labeled Drake as a “certified paedophile,” a claim vehemently denied by the Canadian rapper.
UMG argues that Lamar’s song is protected under nonactionable opinion and rhetorical hyperbole, therefore, Drake’s defamation lawsuit should be dismissed. The label further asserts that diss tracks are a recognized form of art that hinges on exaggerated insults, and stifling them through legal action would be detrimental.
Furthermore, UMG’s attorneys pointed out that Drake himself used UMG’s platform to levy allegations against Lamar, including unverified claims of domestic violence during their rap feud.
Drake’s pre-action petition filed in November, prior to the defamation lawsuit, accused UMG of conspiring to artificially boost the promotion of Kendrick Lamar’s song “Not Like Us” on Spotify. The petition alleged the use of “pay-to-play agreements” and “bots” to inflate the song’s popularity.
UMG refuted these claims, stating that there is no evidence of stream manipulation and that Drake had initiated but later abandoned a separate legal proceeding against UMG earlier this year. The label stands by its position that no foul play was involved in the promotion of Lamar’s song.
