Drake Vs. UMG: Label Claims “Trash-Talking” Central To Rap Battles

Drake’s defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) over Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us” returned to court Monday (June 30) for a hearing on the label’s motion to dismiss.

The federal hearing in New York focused on whether Lamar’s “certified pedophile” line crossed a legal line, NBC News reports.

Drake’s legal team argued UMG amplified the song’s reach, damaging his reputation by promoting defamatory content to a massive audience.

UMG pushed back, insisting the diss track falls squarely within the long-standing Hip-Hop tradition of exaggerated lyrical jabs.

“What you hear in these rap battles is trash-talking in the extreme, and it is not, and should not be treated as, statements of fact,” UMG’s attorney told the court.

Judge Jeannette Vargas didn’t issue a ruling but pressed both sides on how the average listener might interpret the lyrics.

“Who is the ordinary listener? Is it someone who’s going to catch all those references?” she asked, adding, “There’s so much specialized and nuanced to these lyrics.”

Neither Kendrick Lamar nor Drake appeared in court.

Drake’s lawsuit alleges that UMG’s promotion of “Not Like Us” caused reputational harm, while UMG counters that Drake willingly participated in the lyrical feud.

Additionally, the label claims Drake has used similarly aggressive language in his own music.

The case also veers into the murky world of digital streaming.

Drake’s Attorneys Argue UMG Artificially Boosting Streams Costs Artists

Attorney Moe Gangat, known for his Instagram account @lawyerforworkers, attended the hearing and said Drake’s legal team accused UMG of using bots and other artificial methods to inflate streaming numbers.

According to Gangat, Drake’s lawyers argued this manipulation reduces per-stream payouts for artists because algorithms detect fake traffic.

Judge Vargas asked whether this issue would affect all artists signed to labels using such tactics. Drake’s team agreed it would.

Gangat suggested this could open the door for more artists to challenge the industry over revenue lost to artificial streaming inflation.

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The judge has not yet ruled on whether the lyrics in question could be seen as defamatory by a typical listener.

Meanwhile, the discovery phase continues, granting Drake’s legal team access to UMG’s internal records, including Kendrick Lamar’s contract.