Universal Music Group has responded to a defamation lawsuit filed by Drake earlier today (January 15).
Within the lawsuit, the superstar artist accuses UMG of promoting a “false and malicious narrative” about him via the content of the lyrics, single artwork, and music video for the Kendrick Lamar diss track Not Like Us.
The lawsuit was filed just hours after Drake, via his company Frozen Moments LLC, withdrew an earlier legal petition against Universal Music Group and Spotify, which accused the companies of a scheme to “artificially inflate” Kendrick Lamar’s diss track, Not Like Us.
In response to the defamation lawsuit, a spokesperson for Universal Music Group told us today that, “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”.
UMG’s spokesperson added the company “will vigorously defend this litigation to protect our people and our reputation”.
You can read UMG’s statement in full below:
“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,” UMG’s spokesperson.
“We have not and do not engage in defamation — against any individual”
UMG spokesperson
They added: “Throughout his career, Drake has intentionally and successfully used UMG to distribute his music and poetry to engage in conventionally outrageous back-and-forth ‘rap battles’ to express his feelings about other artists.
“He now seeks to weaponize the legal process to silence an artist’s creative expression and to seek damages from UMG for distributing that artist’s music.
“We have not and do not engage in defamation — against any individual. At the same time, we will vigorously defend this litigation to protect our people and our reputation, as well as any artist who might directly or indirectly become a frivolous litigation target for having done nothing more than write a song.”
Drake claims in the lawsuit that the release and promotion of the recording has resulted in “physical threat to Drake’s safety” as well as “the bombardment of online harassment” and as such, “fears for the safety and security of himself, his family and his friends”.
Elsewhere in the complaint, Drake claims that the “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”.
You can read the filing in full here.
A statement issued by Drake’s legal team at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP reads: “Drake filed a lawsuit against his label, Universal Music Group, to hold UMG accountable for knowingly promoting false and defamatory allegations against him.
“Beginning on May 4, 2024 and every day since, UMG has used its massive resources as the world’s most powerful music company to elevate a dangerous and inflammatory message that was designed to assassinate Drake’s character, and led to actual violence at Drake’s doorstep.
“UMG wants the public to believe that this is a fight between rappers, but this lawsuit is not brought against Kendrick Lamar. This lawsuit reveals the human and business consequences to UMG’s elevation of profits over the safety and well-being of its artists, and shines a light on the manipulation of artists and the public for corporate gain.”
The original petition, filed in November 2024 but withdrawn this week, and which you can read in full here, alleged that UMG “launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves with a song, Not Like Us, in order to make that song go viral, including by using ‘bots’ and pay-to-play agreements.”
The petition also claimed that “UMG charged Spotify licensing rates 30 percent lower than its usual licensing rates for Not Like Us in exchange for Spotify affirmatively recommending the Song to users who are searching for other unrelated songs and artists.”
It continued to allege: “UMG nor Spotify disclosed that Spotify had received compensation of any kind in exchange for recommending the Song.”
Last month, in response to Drake’s allegations about a 30% lower rate in exchange for recommendations, a Spotify spokesperson told MBW: “Spotify has no economic incentive for users to stream Not Like Us over any of Drake’s tracks.”
Both Drake and Lamar release their records via UMG and its Republic Records and Interscope, respectively.
Not Like Us (Interscope), recorded by Lamar was released as part of a bitter rap feud with Drake on May 4, as part of a series of three diss tracks, all released within a few days of each other (the other tracks are Euphoria and Meet The Grahams).
The track reached No.1 on the Hot 100, marking Lamar’s fourth-ever US No.1, and his second that year, following Like That by Future, Metro Boomin & Kendrick Lamar, which hit No.1 in April. The track also marked the first US No.1 for Not Like Us producer Mustard.Music Business Worldwide