DRAKE SUES UMG FOR DEFAMATION, HARASSMENT

After filing pre-action petitions against both Universal Music Group and Spotify for allegedly colluding to inflate airplay and streaming for the Kendrick Lamar diss track "Not Like Us," Drake has formally sued UMG for defamation and harassment.

Per the New York Times, the suit was filed today (1/15) in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and claims UMG “approved, published and launched a campaign to create a viral hit out of a rap track” that was “intended to convey the specific, unmistakable and false factual allegation that Drake is a criminal pedophile, and to suggest that the public should resort to vigilante justice in response.”

"Not Like Us" leveled some extremely unflattering accusations at the Canadian artist during a prolonged back-and-forth of diss tracks with Lamar in 2024. The song is nominated for five Grammys next month, including Song and Record of the Year.

The new suit, brought by Willkie Farr & Gallagher partner Michael J. Gottlieb, claims the promotion of "Not Like Us" put Drake's safety at risk, pointing out three trespassing incidents at his Toronto home in the days after the song's release and the need to remove of his son from his elementary school as a safety precaution.

It also implies UMG excessively championed "Not Like Us" as a way to "gain leverage" over Drake in contract negotiations by "devaluing" his own music.

As a precursor to the filing, Drake's legal team yesterday withdrew the original petitions against UMG and Spotify, which sought disclosure and preservation of documents and communication surrounding the rollout of "Not Like Us."

They'd previously claimed UMG hoped "the spectacle of harm to Drake and his businesses" would "drive consumer hysteria and, of course, massive revenues. That plan succeeded, likely beyond UMG’s wildest expectations."

"The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue," the company responded at the time.