Drake Files Defamation Lawsuit Against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar Diss Track

Drake charges UMG with disseminating untrue claims and harming his reputation in order to make money, according to an exclusive TMZ report.

The music industry is in shock following rumors that Drake had sued Universal Music Group (UMG), his own label, for slander. Drake claims in the startling declaration that UMG promoted Kendrick Lamar’s diss tune “Not Like Us” with knowledge that it contained damaging and untrue accusations, according to TMZ Hip Hop.

According to the lawsuit, which was filed on Wednesday in federal court in New York City, UMG purposefully disseminated and profited from false allegations made about Drake as a pedophile in Kendrick Lamar’s song and accompanying video. Drake says the label took advantage of the incident to make money and calls the charges “malicious and false.”

Drake claims in the lawsuit, “The artist who made ‘Not Like Us’ is not the subject of this action. The entire focus is on UMG, the music label that chose to release, market, profit from, and exploit a song that it knew included incorrect information.

Drake claims that in order to undermine his brand, UMG purposefully promoted the song because they perceived its incendiary content as a “gold mine.” UMG’s hidden goal, according to the lawsuit, was to damage Drake’s reputation in order to have power in upcoming contract negotiations.

According to the lawsuit, UMG inflated the song’s success by employing unscrupulous tactics. Drake asserts that UMG:

Third-party services were paid to use bots, resulting in at least 30 million more streams for the song.

partnered with a minimum of one radio promoter to implement a “pay-for-play” strategy in order to obtain substantial playing for the song.

called a “chart-topper” even though “Not Like Us” was founded on false information.

These actions, according to Drake’s legal team, were a part of a larger plan to lower his reputation in the music business.

Drake’s lawsuit also draws attention to UMG’s purported role in negotiating Kendrick Lamar’s impending appearance at Super Bowl Halftime. On one of the biggest venues in the world, he says the label intended to exploit the occasion to further promote “Not Like Us.”

Drake criticizes the NFL and FOX, the network that is broadcasting the game, for allowing Kendrick to sing the song with its contentious lyrics, calling the Super Bowl “one of the most significant cultural events of the year.”

It’s interesting to note that Drake explicitly states that the lawsuit does not target Kendrick Lamar. Rather, he directs his criticism against UMG, which he feels profited from the song while ignoring the negative effects of its message.

In the complaint, Drake makes it clear that Kendrick Lamar is not the subject of this lawsuit. “It concerns the careless conduct of UMG.”

Will this lawsuit only add another chapter to Drake’s already remarkable career, or will it alter the way label’s function?