Drake’s Label Roasts Him Again Over Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ Lawsuit
Drake’s own label, Universal Music Group (UMG), is taking a dig at the rapper once again, saying his latest defamation lawsuit against Kendrick Lamar is “astonishing” and illogical. In a new motion to dismiss Drake’s amended complaint, UMG mocks the rapper’s argument that the NFL’s decision to ban the word “pedophile” from Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance supports his claim that the song is defamatory.
UMG’s motion, obtained by Rolling Stone, argues that Drake’s new allegations are “astonishing” and that the focus of his claims is “betraying” the case for what it is: Drake’s attack on the commercial and creative success of the rap artist who defeated him, rather than the content of Lamar’s lyrics.
The motion also criticizes Drake and his recent wave of legal filings as a reason why the NFL censored the song on February 9, 2025, three weeks after Drake initially sued UMG. UMG is asking the judge overseeing 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 for comment sent Wednesday.
The nine-track rap battle at the center of the legal war started making headlines in April 2024. It exploded when Drake released “Family Matters” on May 3, 2024, which insinuated that Lamar had cheated on his fiancée 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 exploratory petitions seeking records from UMG, iHeartMedia, and Spotify. He accused the companies of scheming to artificially inflate the success of “Not Like Us.”
On January 15, Drake dropped his initial, 81-page lawsuit 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 held liable for his alleged damages. Drake claimed his lawyers sent UMG a letter last July that warned 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 alleges 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 allegation that Drake is a criminal pedophile.” He accused UMG of choosing “corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists.”
UMG is asking the judge overseeing 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 for comment sent Wednesday.
Experts tell Rolling Stone that 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 rhetorical 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 Super Bowl halftime show to a record audience.
