Drake sues his own label over Kendrick Lamar lyric that called him a ‘certified pedophile’
The rapper will face Universal Music Group in court
Drake is suing his own record label over Kendrick Lamar song 'Not Like Us', claiming it is defamatory.
In a lawsuit filed today (January 15) in federal court, Drake is taking Universal Music Group (UMG), the record company which has signed both rappers, to court for defamation and harassment.
The 38-year-old believes UMG promoting Kendrick's song is an example of his record label valuing 'corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists'.
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The two music stars have long been beefing it out, but their feud came to a head last year when both Drake and Kendrick dropped diss tracks about one another.
Kendrick released 'Not Like Us' on May 4 after Drake dropped his song 'Push Ups' a few weeks prior.
But Kendrick's track ended up being the winner in terms of streaming numbers and has amassed over a billion Spotify streams, while 'Push Ups' has around 170 million.
The lyrics for 'Not Like Us' reads: "Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young/ You better not ever go to cell block one/To any b**** that talk to him and they in love/Just make sure you hide your lil' sister from him/They tell me Chubbs the only one that get your hand-me-downs.
"And Party at the party playin' with his nose now/And Baka got a weird case, why is he around?/Certified Lover Boy? Certified pedophiles/Wop, wop, wop, wop, wop, Dot, f*** 'em up/Wop, wop, wop, wop, wop, I'ma do my stuff.
"Why you trollin' like a b****? Ain't you tired?/Tryna strike a chord and it's probably A minor."
The lawsuit filed today (January 15), accuses UMG of approving Kendrick's track that was 'intended to convey the specific, unmistakable, and false factual allegation that Drake is a criminal pedophile, and to suggest that the public should resort to vigilante justice in response'.
Drake only signed with UMG in 2022, in a deal Variety estimated to be in the region of $400 million - their ball park figure came on the back of the fact that Drake, who became the first musician to surpass 50 billion streams on Spotify, brings in around $50 million each year through his music.
Drake's lawyers have previously mentioned taking UMG to court.
“UMG … could have refused to release or distribute the song or required the offending material to be edited and/or removed,” they wrote in November.
“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.”
Joe Yates