Drake has taken legal action against Universal Music Group, claiming defamation over rival Kendrick Lamar’s diss track called “Not Like Us.” The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in New York City, accuses UMG of promoting the track that contained false pedophilia accusations against Drake and encouraged vigilantism, even though Lamar is not directly mentioned in the suit.
According to the lawsuit, the aftermath of the track’s release led to a security guard being shot by intruders at Drake’s home in Toronto. Additionally, Drake faced online hate and harassment, suffered damage to his reputation, and experienced a decrease in his brand’s value just before his contract renegotiation with UMG, a company that has deals with both Drake and Lamar.
The legal dispute intensifies an already heated feud between the two hip-hop stars, escalating tensions in the public eye. The lawsuit highlights the serious consequences of promoting defamatory content and the impact it can have on the lives and safety of individuals, as well as their professional relationships and brands. Drake’s legal action addresses not only the allegations made against him but also the potential real-world consequences of spreading false information and inciting harmful actions.
“The lawsuit is not about the artist who created ‘Not Like Us,’” the lawsuit says, referring to Lamar. “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.”
The suit later alleges, “UMG did so because it understood that the Recording’s inflammatory and shocking allegations were a gold mine.”
And, the suit claims, the music company has made large investments and used its connections to arrange for “Not Like Us” to be performed at next month’s Super Bowl, where Lamar will be the halftime entertainment.
The lawsuit, which is seeking a trial and an undisclosed amount of money for damages, also repeated allegations in other legal filings that UMG falsely pumped up the popularity of “Not Like Us” on streaming services.
Representatives for Drake declined to comment Wednesday. Representatives for UMG and Lamar did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
In a previous statement responding to similar allegations in pre-litigation filings, the record company said 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.”
The feud between Drake, a 38-year-old Canadian rapper and singer and five-time Grammy winner, and Lamar, a 37-year-old Pulitzer Prize winner, is among the biggest in hip-hop in recent years, with two of the genre’s biggest stars at its center.
The two were occasional collaborators more than a decade ago, but Lamar began taking public jabs at Drake starting in 2013. The fight escalated steeply last year.
Drake’s lawyers, from New York-based Willkie Farr & Gallagher, said the lawsuit seeks to hold UMG accountable for knowingly promoting false and defamatory allegations against him.
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