Drake Accuses Universal Music Group of Defamation Over Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us"
Claiming that the label could have stopped the release of a track “falsely accusing him of being a sex offender.”
Drake has filed a second legal petition against Universal Music Group in regards to Kendrick Lamar‘s “Not Like Us” diss track.
Billboard reports that Drizzy is now accusing the record label of defamation claiming that it was aware of the song’s lyrical content, and it could have stopped Dot from releasing a track “falsely accusing him” of being a “predator” and “certified pedophile.” His lawyers wrote, “UMG … could have refused to release or distribute the song or required the offending material to be edited and/or removed,” adding, “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.”
“Before it approved the release of the song, UMG knew that the song itself, as well as its accompanying album art and music video, attacked the character of another one of UMG’s most prominent artists, Drake, by falsely accusing him of being a sex offender, engaging in pedophilic acts, harboring sex offenders and committing other criminal sexual acts,” they continued.
In addition to the first legal petition his team filed in Manhattan court earlier this week, The Boy also threw similar accusations to iHeartRadio in Texas court, alleging that UMG may have “funneled payments” to the platform in a “pay-to-play scheme” as a way to promote “Not Like Us” on the airwaves.
All of the petitions filed by Drake are not lawsuits as of writing, but it could allow for the gathering of information from executives prior to any full-blown lawsuit. The OVO head’s legal team alleges that they currently have enough evidence to engage in a “claim for defamation” against UMG, and could add other claims of civil fraud and racketeering depending on the evidence they will uncover from any depositions.
The petition filed in Manhattan court accuses UMG and Spotify of illegally boosting the popularity of “Not Like Us” by using bots and payola, and claims that the label violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
