Drake has filed a lawsuit against his own record label over the song “Not Like Us”, released by fellow rapper Kendrick Lamar.
The song was released in 2024 as part of an ongoing feud between the two, being fought via diss-tracks, but Lamar’s chart-topping single “Not Like Us” was ultimately the deciding song.
The song’s punchlines included references to Drake, born Aubrey Graham, as a pedophile, and in response Drake is suing his own label, Universal Music Group, the record company behind both rappers.
Filed Wednesday local time in a United States federal court, the suit alleges defamation and harassment, calling the release and promotion of “Not Like Us” an example of valuing “corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists.”
Noting that the cover art for “Not Like Us” features a photo of Drake’s Toronto home dotted with markers meant to represent the presence of registered sex offenders, the suit also stated that this and the lyrics were intended to "convey the specific, unmistakable, and false factual allegation that Drake is a criminal pedophile.”
In a statement back in November, when Drake first broached legal proceedings, a spokesman for Universal Music said: “The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue."
"We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns. No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.”
In a Wednesday (Thursday AEDT) statement to USA TODAY, a spokesperson for UMG said, "Not only are these claims untrue, but the notion that we would seek to harm the reputation of any artist — let alone Drake — is illogical. We have invested massively in his music and our employees around the world have worked tirelessly for many years to help him achieve historic commercial and personal financial success."