The Universal Music Group Responds to Drake’s Lawsuit

In 2024, Drake filed a pre-action petition against UMG.

The celebrity was accused by the music behemoth of attempting to “silence” Lamar’s creative expression.

The war of the bars isn’t limited to the mic, as Universal Music Group (UMG) has responded to Drake’s vehement lawsuit over Kendrick Lamar’s diss single, “Not Like Us.”

Despite the new year, it seems like Drake and Kendrick Lamar are still at odds over their music, maybe because he lost the fight of public opinion. 

Drake Aubery Graham, a Canadian artist and actor, sued the music industry behemoth on Tuesday, alleging defamation after they approved a song that depicted him as a pedophile using a “false and malicious narrative.” 

After representing Drake for the past ten years, UMG has finally addressed the accusations made against them by the A-list Hollywood star, calling the charge irrational. 

The music behemoth firm defended itself by saying, “Not only are these claims false, but the notion that we would seek to harm the reputation of any artist – let alone Drake – is illogical.” 

In an intriguing turn of events, Universal Music Group continued by accusing the ‘Marvins Room’ vocalist of being a sour loser as a result of Kendrick’s song’s success.

By taking their rap war to court, UMG accused the star of attempting to “silence” Lamar’s artistic expressions.

“Drake has purposefully and effectively utilized UMG to spread his poetry and music throughout his career, participating in often ridiculous back-and-forth ‘rap wars’ to vent his frustrations about other musicians. He now aims to use the legal system as a weapon to stifle artistic expression and sue [Universal] for disseminating that artist’s songs. It said on the label.

They also stated that they would never, in any way, “engage in defamation” or attempt to endanger the career of one of their own artists, particularly since they have “invested massively” in his music over the years and have assisted the Canadian musician in “achieving historic commercial and personal financial success.”

“We have not and do not engage in defamation – against any individual,” the statement said. 

Drake filed a lawsuit against Universal Music on November 26, 2024, alleging that the label had manipulated the number of streams of Kendrick Lamar’s diss song, “Not Like Us,” which was directed at him. ‘Not Like Us’ by Kendrick Lamar has gained international popularity since its debut. He won many BET awards for the same song, including Best Hip-Hop Video, Song of the Year, and Hip-Hop Artist of the Year. For the popular song, he has also been nominated for five Grammy Awards; the presentation is scheduled for this February. Among several more honors. 

Drake filed a lawsuit against Universal Music on November 26, 2024, alleging that the label had manipulated Kendrick Lamar’s diss track’s stream numbers against him.

Drake’s business, Frozen Moments LLC, accused Universal and the streaming behemoth Spotify of participating in a “illegal scheme” to promote Kendrick Lamar’s songs using payola, bots, and other tactics in documents filed in New York.

Drake’s attorneys said that Universal Music “did not rely on chance.” “Instead, it started a campaign to control and oversaturate the airwaves and streaming services.”

“Fans choose the music they want to hear,” a Universal representative said, calling the accusations “offensive and untrue.”

Lamar and Spotify have not yet replied.

The petition, which is referred to as a “pre-action petition” rather than a complete lawsuit, allows Drake’s attorneys to request that the court force Universal and Spotify to preserve all pertinent records and material before any further legal action is taken.

Spotify was listed because it was thought to contain material that would be pertinent to a lawsuit, although Universal was the primary target of the case.

His continuing fight with Kendrick Lamar, which is turning out to be as tenacious as it is attention-grabbing, takes an explosive turn with this latest complaint, which was filed Wednesday in the US District Court for the Southern District of latest York.

Drake accused Lamar of domestic abuse during their heated rap war last year, in which the two exchanged lyrical barbs. “Not Like Us,” which Lamar responded to shortly after, seems to have been Aubery’s final straw.