Drake is playing chess, not checkers. On Wednesday (Jan. 15), less than 24 hours after dismissing his first of two legal petitions against Universal Music Group, the More Life creator filed a defamation suit in federal court over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.”
The new lawsuit claims that UMG “approved, published and launched a campaign to create a viral hit from a rap track” that was “intended to convey the specific, unmistakable and false factual allegation that Drake is a criminal pedophile." Throughout the Mustard-produced track, Lamar called the Toronto artist a “certified pedophile” and “69 God,” in addition to the notable “I hear you like 'em young” line.
Interestingly, Drake is not actually targeting the Compton MC. “This lawsuit is not about the artist who created ‘Not Like Us,’” legal documents obtained by Billboard read. “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.”
Elsewhere, the filing revealed that Drake tried to settle the claims with UMG privately, even speaking with the label’s CEO Lucian Grainge, whom he reportedly inked a $400 million deal with in 2022. Per the rapper, the world’s largest music company said he would “face humiliation if he brought legal action — presuming that the public would be unable to understand UMG’s role in exploiting and profiting from this dispute.”
The suit more or less doubles down on many of the points introduced in the “Nonstop” hitmaker’s earlier petitions. UMG is being accused of using bots and payola to boost the aforementioned diss track in an attempt to devalue his brand and music.
Elsewhere, Drake argued that “Not Like Us” — which used his Toronto mansion, The Embassy, for its cover — “subjected him to the risk of physical violence.” He then cited a drive-by shooting, presumably referring to the incident that left one of his security guards hospitalized in May 2024. According to his lawyers, the five-time Grammy Award winner was “left with no choice but to seek legal redress against UMG.”