TLDR: Drake has taken more legal action against Universal Music Group (UMG), with a new lawsuit alleging defamation over the Kendrick Lamar song “Not Like Us,” claiming UMG deliberately used the track to harm his reputation.
The Drake-UMG saga continues to intensify with the rapper filing a second explosive lawsuit against his long-time label, Universal Music Group, this time accusing them of defamation. The latest filing zeroes in on Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy-nominated diss track “Not Like Us,” which Drake claims falsely brands him as a “certified pedophile” and “predator.” While Lamar himself is not a respondent in this case, the allegations are shaking the industry to its core.
According to Complex, Drake’s team argues that UMG “could have refused to release or distribute” the track but instead orchestrated its success. “UMG designed, financed, and then executed a plan to turn ‘Not Like Us’ into a viral mega-hit with the intent of using the spectacle of harm to Drake and his businesses to drive consumer hysteria and, of course, massive revenues,” the filing states. This bombshell accusation follows Monday’s payola-focused filing, which targeted UMG’s alleged use of Spotify to illegally amplify Lamar’s music.
Billboard reports that the new Texas filing extends the pay-to-play allegations to iHeartRadio. Drake’s lawyers allege that UMG “funnelled payments” to the radio giant to boost airplay for “Not Like Us.” Beyond payola, the defamation claim hinges on UMG’s purported knowledge of the false allegations in Lamar’s track. “UMG … could have refused to release or distribute the song or required the offending material to be edited and/or removed,” his legal team asserts. Instead, UMG allegedly capitalized on the controversy to line its pockets.
UMG strongly denies the claims, calling the accusations “contrived and absurd.” In a statement, they said, “The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue. We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns.”
As this legal chess match unfolds, the rift between Drake and UMG only deepens, complicating a relationship that spans his entire career. Whether this is a precursor to a lawsuit remains to be seen, but for now, all eyes are on the court filings and the escalating tensions within hip-hop’s elite.
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