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Rapper Drake's label, Universal Music Group (UMG), has filed a motion to dismiss the former's petition accusing the company of illegally boosting the streaming numbers of Kendrick Lamar's Not Like Us. Citing the 144-page filing filed on Thursday, January 23, 2025, Hot New Hip Hop reported that UMG denied any allegations of foul play.
For the unversed, last November, Drizzy filed two pre-action petitions (in New York and Texas) accusing UMG and others of manipulating streaming numbers of Lamar's track using bots, payola, and other methods. On January 14, Drizzy and his Frozen Moments company voluntarily withdrew the New York petition.
However, a day later, the Toronto-born musician brought a lawsuit against UMG, accusing the label of defamation and harassment over Not Like Us. After UMG's legal team requested (on Thursday) an extension (owing to the Los Angeles wildfires), the next hearing is scheduled for March 17. Additionally, UMG filed a motion to dismiss the Texas petition.
Drake and Universal Music Group controversy explained
Drake and K. Dot have been beefing since the early 2010s. However, things took a turn for the worse last year, with both rappers dropping diss tracks after another, targeting the other's career and personal lives. These include Drizzy's Family Matters and Lamar's Not Like Us.
Fans and critics believe the latter song won Lamar the feud. In the track, the Compton rapper accuses his rival of p*dophilia and s*xual misconduct, among other allegations.
In July 2024, Kendrick dropped the music video for Not Like Us. The track has since topped several charts and year-end lists, including the Hot 100 and Apple Music's Song of the Year.
In response, Drake filed two pre-action petitions against UMG and others (Spotify and iHeartRadio, respectively) in New York and Texas, accusing them of artificially inflating the popularity of the track. It is to be noted that a pre-action petition is not a lawsuit but could potentially lead to one.
Drizzy later voluntarily withdrew the New York petition and filed a defamation lawsuit accusing the label of defamation and harassment for the release and promotion of Not Like Us.
Drake claimed that UMG valued "corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists" and pushed to create a "viral hit" out of a track that falsely called him a p*dophile.
He alleged that the song called for people to "resort to vigilante justice." He was referencing the track's original artwork, which featured an aerial picture of Drizzy's home overlaid with markers used to identify the homes of registered s*x offenders.
Drake claimed that it led to the shooting that occurred outside his residence just days after the track dropped.
While Drake's lawsuit is specifically concerned with Not Like Us, it placed blame on UMG for distributing and marketing the song. Quoting the lawsuit, The Guardian wrote:
"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 allegations that it understood were not only false, but dangerous."
In a statement made to Variety, UMG slammed the suit, calling the claims "illogical." On Thursday, Nicholas P. Crowell, who represents UMG, formally requested a 34-day extension to respond to the lawsuit. Crowell stated that the L.A. wildfires impacted their team so they could not formulate a case.
In the case of Drake's Texas pre-action petition, UMG filed a motion to dismiss, accusing Drizzy of using "strategic legal retaliation against UMG and others" in an "apparent effort to limit the distribution of 'Not Like Us.'" It is to be noted that UMG distributes recordings of both rappers via Republic Records (Drake) and Interscope (Kendrick Lamar).
The motion came just days before the scheduled hearing date of January 28 (in Bexar County, Texas). UMG alleged that Drizzy's legal action was "retaliatory" and further requested suspension of discovery and legal fees.
Neither Drake nor Kendrick Lamar has publicly responded to the development.
