Drake is suing Universal Music Group for defamation. The case was filed in New York City federal court Wednesday morning, accusing UMG of spreading “false and malicious narrative.”
According to TMZ Hip-Hop, the suit addresses Universal releasing and promoting Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” The suit claims the label was well aware of Lamar’s lyrics, images in the music video, and how allegations of Drake being a pedophile were both false and dangerous.
The lawsuit called “Not Like Us” a “gold mine” for the label, built on “inflammatory and shocking allegations.” But why? Drake believes that UMG operated against his brand to impact future contract negotiations.
The suit doubles down in bot usage, stating the company used bot receipts to increase the streams by at least 30 million. Additionally, the suit accuses UMG of participating in “pay for play” with a radio promotion company. The suit states UMG called the song a “chart-topper,” but the data behind it was fraudulent.
Drake also highlights the upcoming Super Bowl performance, stating the label helped Lamar get the job to diss him at “one of the most significant (and viewed) cultural events of the year.”
But what about Kendrick specifically? The lawsuit highlights: “This lawsuit is not about the artist who created ‘Not Like Us.’ It is, instead, entirely about UMG, the music company that decided to publish, promote, exploit, and monetize.”
Drake stated the song put him in danger, highlighting shootings outside his Toronto home.
Earlier today, news broke about Drake ending one pursuit of legal action against Universal Music Group and Spotify over allegedly amplifying Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” streams.
Salute to Bryson “Boom” Paul who picked the scoop of Drizzy’s Frozen Moments, LLC filing a withdrawal order of petition with the New York Supreme Court on Jan. 14. This concludes the current legal chapter with no financial obligations to either party.
There was no opposition to the withdrawal order form Spotify. Universal “reserved its position on the matter.”
The new legal filing reads:
“Please take notice that petitioner and movant Frozen Moments, LLC, by its attorneys Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, hereby withdraws its order to show cause seeking pre-action disclosure and preservation of certain documents and communications from respondent UMG Recordings, Inc. and pre-action disclosure of certain documents and communications from respondent Spotify USA Inc., with exhibits originally filed in New York Supreme Court On November 25, 2024.”
Need some more clarity? Our friend Brian at Audiomack offered a bit of context:
It is worth noting Drake still has a filing set for a Jan. 28 hearing in Texas against UMG and iHeartRadio.
Previously, Spotify responded to Drake’s legal action, accusing the streaming giant and Universal Music Group of amplifying Kendrick Lamar’s streams for “Not Like Us.”
In a legal filing, Drake stated Spotify boosted the streams, to which they reply, calling the allegations “false” and calling the legal action a “subversion of the normal judicial process.”
Spotify says there is no evidence to support Drake’s allegations of using bots, and more, it denies that there is no deal to help the single. “The predicate of Petitioner’s entire request for discovery from Spotify is false,” Spotify’s legal team wrote, according to Billboard. “Spotify and UMG have never had any such arrangement.”
Additionally, Spotify was critical of Drake’s legal action, including creating a “pre-action” because the accusations were believed to be baseless and would have been quickly dismissed.
“What petitioner is seeking to do here … is to bypass the normal pleading requirements … and obtain by way of pre-action discovery that which it would only be entitled to seek were it to survive a motion to dismiss,” Spotify’s lawyers added. “This subversion of the normal judicial process should be rejected.”
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