Canadian-US rap superstar Drake’s explosive defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) is shaking up the music industry. Filed in January 2025 in New York’s Southern District Court, the 81-page complaint targets UMG’s promotion of Kendrick Lamar’s blistering diss track Not Like Us, which labels Drake a “certified pedophile” and his associates as predators.
The song, a 2025 Grammy sweeper and centrepiece of Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show, has, per Drake’s filing, caused “irreparable harm to [his] reputation, emotional distress, and physical danger”. The lawsuit cites a shooting at Drake’s Toronto home and vandalism of his businesses as fallout from UMG’s “reckless” campaign.
The amended complaint, filed on April 16, 2025, pulls no punches.
Character assassination
“It was the first, and will hopefully be the last, Super Bowl halftime show orchestrated to assassinate the character of another artist,” read the documents.
UMG is accused of exposing “millions more who had never before heard the song” to defamatory lyrics. It notes that Lamar omitted “pedophile” from the performance because nearly everyone understands that it is defamatory to falsely brand someone a “certified pedophile”.
Drake’s team slams UMG for choosing corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists.
Record giant clapped back
UMG clapped back in March in response to the initial complaint. It called the lawsuit “frivolous and reckless” in their motion to dismiss. They argue Lamar’s lyrics are “rhetorical hyperbole” protected by the First Amendment. The lyrics are not factual claims. They highlighted Drake’s own UMG-promoted diss track Family Matters, which accused Lamar of domestic abuse.
“Drake has been pleased to use UMG’s platform to promote tracks levelling similarly incendiary attacks at Lamar.”
True test of free speech, label liability
On April 2, a judge allowed discovery. It granted Drake access to Lamar’s contracts and UMG executive compensation details. UMG called this an undue burden in court filings.
Legal experts doubt Drake’s chances, citing precedents protecting rap lyrics as artistic expression. However, some warn that Lamar’s specific accusations could be seen as factual by a jury. With a hearing set for June 30, 2025, the case tests the limits of free speech and label liability.
