Drake has fired off a second action against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar’s seething diss track “Not Like Us.” In the latest filing, the Toronto rap star accuses the former Top Dawg Entertainment MC of defamation for “falsely accusing him of being a sex offender.”
In the suit, Drake notes that UMG knew “Not Like Us” falsely accused him of being a “certified pedophile” and “predator” but chose to move forward with the release anyway.
“UMG … could have refused to release or distribute the song or required the offending material to be edited and/or removed,” Drake’s lawyers wrote. “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.”
Much like Monday’s (November 25) filing, the new petition isn’t exactly a lawsuit—it’s a “pre-action filing” aimed taking depositions from key figures at UMG and iHeart in an effort to collect more data that could support Drake’s accusations in a future lawsuit.
Drake has already accused UMG of illegally boosting “Not Like Us” with payments to Spotify, and he leveled similar claims in Texas court regarding iHeartRadio. The new filing, filed late Monday (November 25) and made public on Tuesday (November 26), allege UMG “funneled payments” to iHeart as part of a “pay-to-play scheme” to promote the song on radio.
UMG responded to Drake’s filing on Tuesday in a statement that read, “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 in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.”
The Hip-Hop community is shocked by Drake’s behavior, with some calling it the biggest “L” of his career.