Drake has taken legal action against his record label, Universal Music Group, by filing a federal lawsuit. He claims that the company defamed and harassed him by releasing a song called “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar.
The rapper, who recently withdrew a petition alleging that UMG artificially boosted the song’s popularity, lodged the lawsuit in New York City on January 15. In the lawsuit, the 38-year-old artist asserts that the label prioritized profit over the well-being of its artists.
According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly, Drake, whose real name is Aubrey Drake Graham, accuses UMG of endorsing and promoting a rap track that falsely accuses him of serious crimes. He is seeking a jury trial, damages, legal fees, and a declaration that the statements made by UMG were untrue.
The filing cites a May 7, 2024, incident in which “a group of assailants” drove up to Drake’s house in Toronto and fired shots. “Drake was inside,” the filing continued. “The car stopped in front of the residence, someone yelled ‘F— Drake,’ and at least one gunman began to open fire. One bullet went through the security gate and hit Drake’s front door; another bullet struck and wounded a security guard, who was also one of Drake’s friends.”
The complaint notes that the security guard survived the incident, but one day later, a different intruder allegedly “used his bare hands to dig a hole” under the fence surrounding the home. Another attempted break-in happened the next day as well.
“These acts of violence against his residence, where Drake lives with his son, and against his business, are not normal,” the rapper’s legal team wrote. “In all the years he has been a celebrity, nothing like the events of early May has ever happened to Drake before. After these attacks, Drake reasonably fears for the safety of his family, and himself, particularly at his Toronto property.”
UMG denied Drake’s claims in a statement to Us on Thursday, January 16.
“Not only are these claims untrue, but the notion that we would seek to harm the reputation of any artist — let alone Drake — is illogical. We have invested massively in his music and our employees around the world have worked tirelessly for many years to help him achieve historic commercial and personal financial success,” said a spokesperson for UMG. “Throughout his career, Drake has intentionally and successfully used UMG to distribute his music and poetry to engage in conventionally outrageous back-and-forth ‘rap battles’ to express his feelings about other artists. He now seeks to weaponize the legal process to silence an artist’s creative expression and to seek damages from UMG for distributing that artist’s music.”
The statement continued: “We have not and do not engage in defamation — against any individual. At the same time, we will vigorously defend this litigation to protect our people and our reputation, as well as any artist who might directly or indirectly become a frivolous litigation target for having done nothing more than write a song.”
Lamar released “Not Like Us” on May 4, 2024, amid a feud between himself and Drake that saw the two men trading diss tracks via social media. While they both released several new songs at the time, “Not Like Us” quickly soared in popularity, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In the song, Lamar accused Drake of pedophilia in the lines, “Certified lover boy? Certified pedophiles” and “Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A minor.”
Drake addressed the accusation in a follow-up song titled “The Heart Pt. 6,” rapping, “I never been with no one underage but now I understand why this the angle that you really mess with / Just for clarity, I feel disgusted, I’m too respected / If I was f—ing young girls, I promise I’d have been arrested / I’m way too famous for this s— you just suggested.”
After Lamar landed the Super Bowl LIX halftime show gig for 2025, rumors spread that Drake had sent him a cease-and-desist letter about performing “Not Like Us,” but a rep for Drake shut down the speculation. “The rumors are completely false,” the rep told Us in a statement in October 2024.
One month later, Drake filed a legal petition in New York City accusing UMG of artificially inflating the popularity of “Not Like Us” using bots and other strategies. He voluntarily withdrew that petition on Tuesday, January 14, but the new lawsuit accuses the label of using “third parties to fake streams” of the track.
UMG vehemently denied Drake’s claims at the time, telling Billboard in a statement: “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. No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.”
