People Drake sues his music label in connection with Kendrick Lamar

SDA

16.1.2025 - 07:05

Musician Drake takes legal action against his music label. (archive picture)
Musician Drake takes legal action against his music label. (archive picture)
Keystone

Canadian rapper Drake filed a lawsuit against his own music label on Wednesday. He accuses the label of defamation and harassment for publishing and promoting the track "Not Like Us" by fellow rapper Kendrick Lamar.

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In court documents seen by the AFP news agency, Drake claims that music label Universal Music Group (UMG) defrauded him for profit by promoting Lamar's song with punchlines accusing Drake of pedophilia.

The 38-year-old Drake had a heated argument with Lamar last year - the two musicians attack each other in their pieces, so-called "diss tracks".

"False statement of fact"

UMG had launched an advertising campaign with the aim of making a viral hit out of the rap song, according to the documents filed with a US federal court in Manhattan. This campaign was intended to "disseminate the specific, unambiguous and false factual assertion" that "Drake is a criminal pedophile and that the public should take vigilante action in response".

The group put "corporate greed above the safety and well-being of their artists, the documents continue. The promotion of the track had caused a "physical threat to Drake's safety" as well as mass online harassment.

In the lawsuit, 38-year-old Drake refers to gunshots fired in close proximity to Drake's home in Toronto last May. A security guard at the property was injured in the incident. This was no accident, the court documents state.

It is also emphasized that Drake is not taking action against Lamar and the lyrics of the song itself - but against the publication and promotion by the label, which both represent.

Music label rejects accusations

UMG firmly rejected the accusations. The idea "that we would attempt to damage the reputation of any artist - let alone Drake - is illogical", as the company has long been invested in helping Drake achieve "historic commercial and personal financial success". UMG is not committing defamation and never has, the company said. It also pointed out that Drake himself had distributed music in the past with the help of UMG, in which he made comments about other artists.

In his lawsuit, Drake accuses the label of attempting to devalue the Canadian's music shortly before his contract with UMG is due to expire, thus weakening the artist's position for the renegotiation. Lamar, on the other hand, had a fixed-term contract with UMG, which was extended by the group last year.

Proof of defamation requires that false information was knowingly disseminated. The lawsuit emphasizes that UMG would not have maintained its long-standing business relationship with Drake if the company had actually assumed that he was a pedophile or had committed sexual abuse.