Drake Sues UMG Over “Not Like Us”

Following 2024’s rap battle against Kendrick Lamar that was absolutely disastrous for Drake, the Toronto magnate has officially dropped his legal petition against Universal Music Group and Spotify. Today, Drake has officially filed a lawsuit against UMG, citing defamation in the track “Not Like Us.”

Notably, the suit only names UMG as a defendant, not Kendrick Lamar, Spotify, or iHeartMedia. The suit brings the shooting of one of Drake’s security guards outside his Toronto home, a trespasser who was removed from the premises, and someone who “used his bare hands to dig a hole under the security fence surrounding Drake’s Toronto house” and who “managed to yell racist slurs and threats against Drake” while being escorted out. The lawsuit links those instances to “Not Like Us,” stating that the song 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.”

The lawsuit further claims that UMG would never be in business with a known pedophile, and claims that this is all about the artist’s deal structure with the company. Both Drake and Lamar release music under the UMG umbrella, but Lamar works with Universal under a short-term deal that was extended last year, while Drake’s contract expires in 2025. The lawsuit says, “By devaluing Drake’s music and brand, UMG would gain leverage to force Drake to sign a new deal on terms more favorable to UMG.”