Universal Music Group (UMG), Drake’s longtime label, filed a motion on Monday to dismiss his defamation lawsuit. The lawsuit concerns UMG’s promotion of Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy-winning single “Not Like Us,” the biggest hit in their diss track exchange.
UMG argued in a Manhattan federal court filing that the lyrics to “Not Like Us,” which Drake claims brand him as a pedophile, are simply “rhetorical hyperbole” and opinion. The U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment protects this expression, they stated.
The company also accused Drake of hypocrisy. They pointed to his June 2022 petition, “opens new tab,” criticizing prosecutors for using artists’ works against them in criminal cases and declaring such works the product of artists’ “vision and imagination.” Now, UMG says, Drake brands Lamar’s lyrics as literal fact.
UMG stated, “Drake was right then and is wrong now.” They added, “Diss tracks are a popular and celebrated artform centered around outrageous insults, and they would be severely chilled if Drake’s suit were permitted to proceed.”
Lamar directly mentioned Drake in “Not Like Us.” The lyrics state “Drake, I hear you like ’em young” and label him and others as “certified pedophiles.”
The song was released on May 4, one day after Drake’s “Family Matters” allegedly accused Lamar of physical abuse and infidelity, and questioned the parentage of one of his children.
Drake filed his complaint on January 15, alleging that “Not Like Us” threatened his safety. He stated it led to attempted home break-ins and forced him to remove his seven-year-old son from school and the Toronto area.
He seeks damages for defamation and harassment.
Michael Gottlieb, Drake’s lawyer, described UMG’s dismissal request as a “desperate ploy” to avoid accountability.
Gottlieb said, “We have every confidence that this case will proceed and continue to uncover UMG’s long history of endangering and abusing its artists.”
Drake and Lamar have feuded for about a decade. Lamar, an American, won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music.
“Not Like Us” received Grammy Awards in February for record and song of the year. It topped Billboard’s Hot 100 for two weeks in 2024. It also spent another week at No. 1 after Lamar performed it at last month’s Super Bowl halftime show.
UMG called Drake’s lawsuit “no more than Drake’s attempt to save face for his unsuccessful rap battle with Lamar.” Many commentators and fans also considered Lamar the victor.
The case is Graham v UMG Recordings Inc, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 25-00399.
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