Drake is pursuing a legal battle against his record label, accusing Universal Music Group of spreading a “false and malicious narrative” when it promoted Kendrick Lamar’s diss song “Not Like Us.” He has filed a federal lawsuit alleging defamation.
Canadian rapper Drake (real name Aubrey Drake Graham) filed an 81-page lawsuit Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Drake and Lamar are both signed to UMG, but with different affiliations. Drake is signed to Republic Records, and Lamar is signed to Interscope.
The lawsuit reiterates some of the claims Drake made against UMG in a petition he filed in November, alleging that Drake uses pay-to-play schemes, bots and other tactics to They accused Drake of conspiring to “artificially inflate” Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” .
Lamar released the song over the summer amid a months-long feud with Drake.
“UMG’s campaign went far beyond traditional music company strategy. In fact, based on information and belief, UMG unleashed a full arsenal of weapons, including certain actions that were unlawful,” Wednesday’s lawsuit states. is written.
UMG alleges that it provided “financial incentives” to third parties to stream and promote the songs without disclosing the amounts paid to the public. The label also lifted copyright restrictions that allowed content creators to play the song in their videos, according to the complaint.
Additionally, UMG claims that it used “bots” to play the song and increase its popularity.
A UMG spokesperson said the allegations are “false” and claims aimed at damaging Drake’s reputation are “illogical.”
“We have invested heavily in his music, and our employees around the world have worked tirelessly over the years to help him achieve historic commercial and personal financial success. ” reads the statement.
(Dutch-American-owned UMG is not affiliated with NBC Universal, the parent company of NBC News.)
The complaint alleges that the song’s false claims and UMG’s decision to promote it resulted in “real-world consequences” for Drake. On May 7, a group of gunmen drove to Drake’s home in Toronto, and at least one gunman opened fire, wounding a security guard, the lawsuit alleges.
The next day, another intruder used his bare hands to dig a hole under the house’s security fence. A security guard on the property caught the intruder, according to the complaint. There was an attempted break-in at another home on May 9, according to the complaint.
“While Drake was constantly in the public eye for 20 years until May 2024, nothing similar to these events had ever happened to him or his family. The incident was not a coincidence,” the complaint states. “They immediately follow and are caused by UMG’s actions up to and after May 4, 2024.”
According to the complaint, Drake tried to resolve the issue privately with UMG, but UMG “refused to do anything to help” and told her that if she sought legal action, she would “face humiliation.” Said.
According to the lawsuit, UMG promoted the song because the label knew that the more the song was streamed and played, the more money UMG and its executives would make. The company also knew that Mr. Drake’s contract was nearing its end and that extending it would be costly, the complaint said.
“By devaluing Drake’s music and brand, UMG will gain leverage to force Drake to sign a new contract with terms more favorable to UMG.”
A UMG spokesperson said in a statement that Drake “deliberately and successfully” used the label to “distribute his music and poetry and express his feelings toward other artists without traditional legal means.” I participated in a back-and-forth ‘rap battle’.”
The label accused Drake of weaponizing “legal proceedings to silence an artist’s creative expression and seek damages from UMG for distributing that artist’s music.”
A UMG spokesperson said: “We have never and will never defame any individual.” “At the same time, we will vigorously defend this lawsuit, not only to protect our public and reputation, but also to protect artists who may be directly or indirectly the subject of frivolous lawsuits simply because they wrote a song. I intend to protect it.”
Concerned for the safety of herself and her family, Drake had to withdraw her son from the elementary school due to safety concerns, according to the complaint. He also suffered financial damages, according to the lawsuit.
Drake has made it clear in his lawsuit that he has no intention of pursuing Lamar. The legal team at Willkie, Farr & Gallagher said the purpose of the lawsuit is to “hold UMG accountable for knowingly promoting false and defamatory allegations against him.”
“Every day starting May 4, 2024, UMG will use its vast resources as the world’s most powerful music company to promote dangerous and inflammatory messages aimed at assassinating Drake’s character, led to actual violence in front of his eyes,” his lawyer said.
“While UMG would like the public to believe that this is a dispute between rappers, this lawsuit was not brought against Kendrick Lamar,” they said. “This lawsuit exposes the human and business consequences of UMG’s profiteering over the safety and well-being of artists, and the manipulation of artists and the public for corporate gain. It shines a light.”
