Drake has stepped up his lawsuit against Universal Music Group, UMG, by filing a second lawsuit on November 25, 2024. This time, Drake has accused UMG of defamation for distributing Kendrick Lamar’s controversial diss track “Not Like Us,” containing explicit accusations of predatory behavior.
Drake also alleges that UMG engineered a deliberate “pay-to-play” scheme, paying off iHeartRadio and other platforms to ensure heavy radio rotation for Not Like Us, which was to go viral. According to the filing, this was done with the intent to harm Drake’s reputation and capitalize financially on the controversy.
UMG “could have refused to release the song, or demanded edits to delete the false accusations,” Drake’s attorneys said. “Instead, they decided to weaponize the track against their own artist.
Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” released May 4, 2024, has been a cultural flash point, inciting debate far beyond the music world. On the track, Lamar spits scathing allegations of inauthenticity and immorality hurled toward Drake. The most incendiary line: “Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young, you better not ever go to Cell Block 1, ” plainly accused the rapper of predatory behavior.
This already immense diss track success, having tacked on over 900 million Spotify streams and charting in many major countries around the world, only poured gasoline on the fire. Drake at first responded with a filing in New York back on November 24, targeting UMG and Spotify for allegedly inflating the song’s popularity via bots and undisclosed promotional tactics.
UMG has denied the claim outright. The label labeled Drake’s allegations “offensive and untrue” in a public statement while insisting it follows best practices for every marketing and promotional campaign.
“The idea that UMG would do anything to harm any of its artists is preposterous,” the company said. “No amount of manufactured legal rhetoric can obscure the simple truth that listeners decide what music they want to listen to.
A second filing from Drake seeks to take depositions from key UMG and iHeartRadio figures to get internal communications and financial records that would support his claims. Civil fraud and racketeering charges have been mentioned by his attorneys, pending the uncovering of specific evidence.
Legal experts say the case has the potential to be highly influential. A successful claim would open up the behind-the-scenes world of the music industry, including the use of bots, undisclosed payola, and even algorithm manipulation. The lawsuit, for example, refers to reports of Apple’s Siri redirecting users searching for Drake’s album Certified Lover Boy to Lamar’s diss track instead.
But cultural critics say the move could alienate fans and upend hip-hop’s traditional ethos when it comes to feuds. “Rap beefs are supposed to be settled on the mic, not in the courts,” says A.R. Shaw, executive editor of the Atlanta Daily World. “By taking this to the courts, Drake risks looking out of touch with the culture.
