Canadian rapper Drake has filed a defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) over allegations stemming from a diss track by his rival, Kendrick Lamar. The track, titled Not Like Us, reportedly accuses Drake of being a pedophile.
According to a report by TMZ, Drake’s lawsuit claims that UMG perpetuated a “false and malicious narrative” through the promotion and distribution of the song.
Drake alleges that UMG was aware of the defamatory nature of Lamar’s track and knowingly allowed its release, amplifying the “inflammatory and shocking allegations” it contained.
The lawsuit also accuses UMG of engaging in unethical practices to boost the song’s reach, including paying a third party to use bots to artificially inflate its streams by over 30 million and participating in a “pay-for-play” scheme with at least one radio promoter to falsely position the track as a chart-topper.
The legal action emphasizes that the lawsuit is not directed at Kendrick Lamar himself.
“This lawsuit is not about the artist who created Not Like Us,” the document states. “It is solely focused on UMG, the music company that chose to publish, promote, exploit, and monetize a song containing false claims.”