Rapper Drake has altered his course of assault towards Common Music Group, now going after the media conglomerate for defamation lower than 12 hours after pulling a previous petition.
The Canadian famous person simply filed a brand new go well with in New York Metropolis, claiming that UMG’s promotion of Kendrick Lamar’s mega-hit “Not Like Us” helped to push a “false and malicious narrative” that labels the “Finest I Ever Had” performer as a pedophile.
Drake and Lamar are presently signed to the father or mother label through subsidiaries Republic Data (Drake) and Interscope Data (Lamar).
Article continues under commercial
Drake Sues UMG For Defamation, Fears ‘Vigilante Justice’ From Accusations Made In ‘Not Like Us’
Within the go well with, filed Wednesday morning, Drake calls out UMG for being extra involved with “company greed over the security and well-being of its artists” by permitting Lamar’s “Not Like Us” to be launched.
Through courtroom paperwork, the performer, born Aubrey Drake Graham, alleges UMG “authorised, printed, and launched a marketing campaign to create a viral hit out of ‘Not Like Us’” that was “meant to convey the particular, unmistakable and false factual allegation that Drake is a felony pedophile, and to recommend that the general public ought to resort to vigilante justice in response.”
Because the tune’s launch, there was a bevy of shootings close to and round Drake’s Toronto dwelling, together with one which noticed a bodyguard of Drake’s develop into injured.
Article continues under commercial
Drake Omits Lamar From His ‘Not Like Us’ Defamation Go well with, Solely Focusing on UMG
Lamar launched “Not Like Us” in Might 2024 because the final of 5 responses to Drake in a drawn-out feud that was reignited that March.
In his tune, the “Humble” rapper alludes to previous allegations towards Drake concerning his shut friendships with a number of younger ladies, together with “Stranger Issues” star Millie Bobbie Brown.
Lamar additionally questions the Canadian entertainer’s place in Black tradition, referring to Drake in “Not Like Us” as a “f-cking colonizer,” amongst different issues.
Inside days, the tune grew to become one of many largest hits of 2024. It hit No. 1 on the Billboard Sizzling 100, the place it stayed for 2 weeks, and the highest spot on Billboard’s Sizzling Rap Songs Chart, the place it remained for 20 weeks.
Article continues under commercial
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Lamar will not be among the many claimants being sued by Drake, regardless of being the only lyricist of “Not Like Us.”
“[This suit is] completely about UMG,” the courtroom docs proceed, “the music firm that determined to publish, promote, exploit, and monetize allegations that it understood weren’t solely false, however harmful.”
Article continues under commercial
Drake’s Earlier Submitting Blamed UMG and Spotify For ‘Boosting’ Lamar’s Tune
Drake’s new submitting comes lower than a day after he withdrew a earlier petition towards UMG and streaming app Spotify for participating in unlawful techniques to “increase” numbers for “Not Like Us.”
First filed in November, the petition, thought of a “pre-action” transfer and never a full go well with, purported that UMG and Spotify “engaged in conduct designed to artificially inflate the recognition of “Not Like Us.’”
This included, “licensing the tune at drastically lowered charges to Spotify, and utilizing ‘bots’ to generate the misunderstanding that the tune was extra widespread than it was in actuality.”
Article continues under commercial
UMG Responds To Drake’s Preliminary Submitting, Saying They Would By no means ‘Undermine’ Their Artists
UMG fired again in an announcement to Variety, calling Drake’s accusations meritless.
“The suggestion that UMG would do something to undermine any of its artists is offensive and unfaithful,” it reads. “We make use of the very best moral practices in our advertising and marketing and promotional campaigns. No quantity of contrived and absurd authorized arguments on this pre-action submission can masks the truth that followers select the music they wish to hear.”
Spotify would reply to Drake’s claims through a counterclaim in December, noting that that they had “no financial incentive” to power customers to stream “Not Like Us” greater than they selected to, and “have by no means had any association during which UMG ‘charged Spotify licensing charges 30 p.c decrease than its standard licensing charges for ‘Not Like Us.’”
In response, Drake’s authorized crew accused Spotify of trying to “distance themselves” from UMG.
“If Spotify and UMG don’t have anything to cover, then they need to be completely nice complying with this fundamental discovery request,” they’d add.
Drake and his firm, Frozen Moments, would voluntarily withdraw their petition late Tuesday “with out prices to any celebration.”
Article continues under commercial
Many Overlook Drake Fired The First ‘Shot’ That Led To Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’
Although Drake and Lamar’s feud had been brewing for a while, it was Drake who precipitated the matter to accentuate.
On Might 3, 2024, he launched the controversial monitor, “Household Issues,” which featured accusations of Lamar bodily assaulting and dishonest on his spouse, and rumors of one among Lamar’s youngsters being fathered by one other man.
It could be these darkish allegations that pushed Lamar to file three songs in retaliation – “6:16 In LA,” “Meet the Grahams,” and his ultimate response, “Not Like Us.”
