Drake's Own Label Is Roasting the Rapper Yet Again, Saying His Second Stab at the Defamation Lawsuit He Filed Over Kendrick Lamar's Song “Not Like Us” is so illogical, It's “Astonishing.”
In Its New Motion to Dismiss Drake's Recently Filed AMENDED COMPLANINT, Universal Music Group (UMG) Mocked The Rapper's Argument that the NFL's decision to ban the Word “Pedophile” from Lamar's Super Bowl Halftime Performance Supports His Allegation that “Not like us” is defamatory.
“Drake's New Allegations Are Astonishing. … The Focus of Drake's New Claims – That 'The Largest Audience For A Super Bowl Halftime Show Ever' Did not Hear Lamar Call Drake or His Crew Pedophiles – Betrays This Case for What It is: Drake's Attack on the Creative and Creative Next of the Rap Artist Who Defeate Him, Rather Than the Content of Lamar's Lyrics, “Umg's New Motion Filed Late Wednesday Reads. It Goes On To Skewer Drake – and His Recent Wave of Legal Filings – AS A Better Reason the NFL censored the song on Feb. 9, 2025 – Three Weeks After Drake Initialy Sued Umg.
“Drake contendes that the decision not to includes The Word 'Pedophiles' (as used in the phrase 'Certified Pedophiles') in Lamar's Super Bowl Performance Cound Only Reflect That The Language is Defamatory, but This ignores Any Number of Other Explanations for the decision – Such as Threts by Drake of additional meritless quarigation, “The New 33-Page Filing Obtained by Rolling Stone Reads. “These Allegations, Directly Aimed at Legitimate Artistic Expression Safesguarded by the first Amendment and New York Law … Are Meritless.”
A Spokesperson for Umg Issued a follow-up statement WednesDay Evening After The New Motion was Filed. “Nowhere in the Hundred-Plus Page 'Legal' Blaother Written by Drake's Lawyers do they bother to ACKNowledEdge That Drake Himself Has Written and Performed Massesely Successful Songs Containing Equally Provocative Taunts Against Other Arts. Drake Who Started This Particle Exchange, “The Statement Sent to Rolling Stone Reads. “Appently, Drake's Lawyers Believe That When Drake Willingly Participates in A performative Rap Battle of Music and Poetry, he can be 'defamed' Even Though He Engages in the exact same form of Creative Expression.”
Umg is asking the judge overseing the case in Federal Court in Manhattan to Dismiss the 107-Page Amended Complaint for Failure to State Any Viable Claims. Drake's Lawyers Did Not Immediately Respond to a Request Seeking Comment Sent Wednesday.
The Nine-Track Rap Battle at the center of the Legal War Started Making Headline in April 2024. It Exploded When Drake Released “Family Matters” on May 3, 2024. The song Insinated That Lamar Had Cheated on his Facée and was physically Violent with Her. Lamar Responded with the back-to-back drops of “Meet the grahams” and “Not like us,” with the latter's hook of “Certified Lover Boy, Certified Pedophile” Becoming an instant and ubiquitous viral sensation.
Lamar Was Declared the Victor in the Court of Public Opinion. Drake Regrouped with His Lawyers and Took the Matter to Civil Court. In November, He Filed Explorator Petitions Seeking Records from Umg, IheartMedia and Spotify. He accused the company of scheming to artificially inflate the subsequent “not like us.”
On Jan. 15, Drake Dropped His Initial, 81-Page Lawsuits Accusing Umg of Defamation and Harassment. He laid all the blame on umg, claiming the company, not lamar, released and promoted the track, so it Should be help liable for his alleged damages. Drake Claimed His Lawyers Sent Umg A Letter Last July That Worned He Was Suffering “Concrete and Substantial Harm.” The letter specifically Referenced the May 7, 2024, Drive-by Shooting Outside Drake's Toronto Home That Wounded a Security Guard. Drake Allegnes The Shooting was motivated by the backlash sparked by “Not like us.”
In His Lawsuit, Drake Claims Umg Used “Every Weapon in Its Arsenal” to turn “Not like us” Into a Monster Hit at his expense. He claims the song was “intended to convey the specific, unmistakable, and false factual attation that drake is a criminal pedophile.” He accused Umb of Choosing “Corporate Greed Over the Safety and Well-Boing of Its Artists.”
In the statement from Umg Shared Wednesday, The Spokesperson Says Drake and His Lawyers Can “Keep Seeking to 'Uncover' Evidence of Wild Conspiracies as to what one song that Upset Drake Had Massive Global Appeal, but there is nothing to 'Uncover.' The Secret to the Song's later, The Spokesperson Says, Is That Umg Works “Tirelessly in partnership” with its artists to “Achieve Global Next.”
“Our Continuing Partnership with Drake and His enduring subsequently is a Shining Example,” The Spokesperson Says. “Despite His Lawyers 'Attkes To Silence Other Artists and Threaten the Companies that Work With Them, We Remain Committed to Propelling Drake's Career While Maintaining Our Unwavering Support of All Our Artists' Creative Expression. Drake's Included.”
In Its Prior Motion to Dismiss Drake's Initial Complaint, Umg Said Drake Encouraged the Rap War and Now Wants To Change the Rules. “Plaintiff, One of the Most Successful Recording Artists of All Time, Lost A rap battle that he provoked and in what he will at participate. Wounds, “Lawyers for Umg Wrote Last March. The Label Says No “Reasonable” Listener Truly Believes Drake is a “Certified Pedophile.”
Experts Tell Rolling Stone The bar is high for drake to succeed with his lawsuit. They Say Music, and Battle-Rap in Particular, is an art form where insults are considered Rhetical Hyperbole Protected by the first Amendment.
“Not like us” Became The Best-Selling Rap Recording of 2024 and Won Grammy Awards Including Song of the Year. Lamar performed the song at the 2025 Superbowl Halftime Show to a record audience.
