Record label seeks dismissal of rapper Drake’s defamation lawsuit over viral diss track

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Universal Music Group sought to dismiss a federal lawsuit filed by Drake, in which the rapper accused the conglomerate of promoting a song that put his life and livelihood at immediate risk.

Key Players

Aubrey Drake Graham (Drake), a best-selling Canadian rap and pop artist, has released 13 number-one Billboard Hot 100 hits, including “God’s Plan,” “One Dance,” and “Work.” He has won five Grammy Awards, six American Music Awards, and 29 Billboard Music Awards. 

Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (Kendrick Lamar), an American rapper, became the first musician outside of the classical and jazz genres to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2018. His 2015 album, To Pimp a Butterfly, was the first of five consecutive number-one albums for Lamar on the Billboard 200. 

Universal Music Group (UMG), a Dutch–American multinational music corporation, represents both Drake and Lamar.  

Michael Gottlieb, Drake’s lawyer, a former associate counsel in the Obama White House, previously won several high-profile defamation cases, including one against Rudolph W. Giuliani, who was ordered to pay $148,169,000 to two Georgia election workers he accused of “stealing” the 2020 presidential election. Gottlieb also represented the owner of Comet Pingpong, the Washington, DC, pizzeria targeted in the “Pizzagate” conspiracy theory fueled by Alex Jones of Infowars. 

Further Details

On May 7, 2024, police responded to a shooting at Drake’s mansion in Toronto, which left a security guard seriously wounded. According to court documents, the next day, another intruder dug a hole under the security fence surrounding the home before he was caught. A day later, another attempted break-in occurred.

On Jan. 15, 2025, Drake filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. courts against UMG, alleging that those incidents were the result of “Not Like Us,” a viral diss track (a song that insults or criticizes someone) released by Lamar, which accuses Drake of being a pedophile. Drake asserted that the song spread defamatory accusations and encouraged vigilante retribution.

“On May 4, 2024, UMG approved, published, and launched a campaign to create a viral hit out of a rap track that falsely accuses Drake of being a pedophile and calls for violent retribution against him,” the lawsuit stated. “Even though UMG enriched itself and its shareholders by exploiting Drake’s music for years, and knew that the salacious allegations against Drake were false, UMG chose corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists.”

Drake argued that through every stream, watch, and download, UMG monetarily benefited from this defamation. The lawsuit also claimed that UMG deliberately devalued his music and brand to gain leverage and pressure him into signing a new contract, with terms more favorable to the company, during renewal negotiations.

The lawsuit further alleged that the accusations of pedophilia prompted an “avalanche of online hate speech” and a “mob-like response,” including the break-ins, which Drake said caused him to fear for the safety of himself and his family, and led him to pull his son out of elementary school. The lawsuit also claimed that UMG knew the allegations were false.

“Not Like Us” origins

“Not Like Us” had been the culmination of a long-standing feud between Drake and Lamar dating back to the 2010s. The artists collaborated in the early stages of their careers. But in 2013, both took lyrical stabs at one another. Tensions boiled over in October 2023, when Drake and J. Cole released “First Person Shooter,” which included a personal attack on Lamar.

In March 2024, Lamar slammed Drake and J. Cole with the song, “Like That,” which featured rappers Metro Boomin’ and Future.  

The next month, Drake released “Push Ups,” a song that mostly poked fun at Kendrick’s height. He also posted a video called “Taylor Made Freestyle,” using AI-generated vocals of Tupac and Snoop Dogg to insult Lamar. Lamar then responded with a six-minute-long song called “Euphoria,” questioning Drake’s fashion sense, hip-hop merits, and use of the N-word. Shortly after, Lamar released another diss, “6:16 in LA,” which Drake responded to 14 hours later with the song, “Family Matters,” mocking Lamar’s relationship with his fiancée Whitney Alford. 

And so it went. A few minutes later, Lamar released “Meet the Grahams,” accusing Drake of being a deadbeat father. Less than a day later, Lamar dropped “Not Like Us,” which included an image of Drake’s Toronto home marked with red symbols commonly associated with “pedophile warning signs” online.

Outcome

UMG denies defamation

On Jan. 16, UMG denied the lawsuit allegations.

“Not only are these claims untrue, but the notion that we would seek to harm the reputation of any artist – let alone Drake – is illogical,” UMG stated. 

The statement further pointed out that UMG distributed many of Drake’s diss tracks throughout his career, allowing him to creatively engage in other “rap battles.” It also accused Drake of seeking to “weaponize the legal process to silence an artist’s creative expression.”

“Not Like US” remains successful

On Feb. 3, “Not Like Us” received five Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year. 

Six days later, Lamar headlined the Super Bowl LIX halftime show, where he performed the song. 

UMG seeks dismissal

On March 17, UMG filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing the defamation claims were “no more than Drake’s attempt to save face for his unsuccessful rap battle” with Kendrick Lamar. 

Drake “lost a rap battle that he provoked and in which he willingly participated,” UMG stated. “Instead of accepting the loss like the unbothered rap artist he often claims to be, he has sued his own record label in a misguided attempt to salve his wounds.”

In response, Gottlieb stated, “UMG wants to pretend that this is about a rap battle in order to distract its shareholders, artists and the public from a simple truth: a greedy company is finally being held responsible for profiting from dangerous misinformation that has already resulted in multiple acts of violence.” 

As of March 24, 2025, there were no further developments.