Drake has filed a second legal action against Universal Music Group (UMG) over Kendrick Lamar’s song “Not Like Us,”accusing the label of defamation and alleging it could have stopped the release of a track that “falsely accuses him of being a sex offender.”
Filed in Texas a day after a similar action in New York, the new petition also targets iHeartRadio, claiming UMG “funneled payments” to the radio giant as part of a “pay-to-play scheme” to promote the song. According to Drake’s lawyers, UMG knowingly released a song accusing him of being a “certified pedophile” and “predator,” amplifying it into a viral hit for profit.
“UMG … could have refused to release or distribute the song or required the offending material to be edited and/or removed,” the filing states. “But UMG chose to do the opposite. UMG designed, financed and then executed a plan to turn ‘Not Like Us’ into a viral mega-hit with the intent of using the spectacle of harm to Drake and his businesses to drive consumer hysteria and, of course, massive revenues. That plan succeeded, likely beyond UMG’s wildest expectations.”
The filing, not yet a full lawsuit, seeks depositions from UMG and iHeart figures to gather evidence for potential claims of defamation, civil fraud, and racketeering.
UMG dismissed the allegations, stating, “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 … can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.”
The feud escalates a longstanding rift between Drake and Lamar, who exchanged diss tracks earlier this year, and highlights Drake’s growing tensions with UMG, his longtime label. His lawyers argue that UMG prioritized Lamar’s success over its responsibility to protect another of its marquee artists, stating, “Before it approved the release of the song, UMG knew that the song itself … attacked the character of another one of UMG’s most prominent artists, Drake.”
Lamar is not named in the filing and is not accused of any wrongdoing. UMG and iHeart have yet to comment further.
