In 2024, Kendrick Lamar baited Drake into history’s most famous rap beef and absolutely destroyed him, delivering the knockout blow with the chart-topping, Grammy-winning, world-conquering smash “Not Like Us.” Drake’s response to this embarrassing turn of events was to double down on his own humiliation by suing his own record label.
Universal Music Group, whose sprawling portfolio includes Drake’s label home Republic Records, also releases Kendrick’s music. Drake sued UMG in January 2025, alleging that the company knowingly propagated falsehoods about him by promoting “Not Like Us,” which famously accuses him of being a pedophile among other claims. His argument was that millions of people now believe Drake really is a pedophile because of the song. UMG filed to dismiss the suit two months later, writing that everyone knows rap battles are full of exaggerations and that Drake knew what he was getting into when he willingly participated in the feud. Last October, the court officially threw out the case.
Alas, this story will not die. Drake has appealed the lawsuit’s dismissal, Rolling Stone reports. According to his legal team’s 60-page document, Kendrick’s lyrics state as an “unambiguous matter of fact” that Drake is a “certified pedophile,” and Universal “relentlessly” promoted the song, causing Drake significant harm. “The court effectively created an unprecedented and overbroad categorical rule that statements in rap diss tracks can never constitute statements of fact,” his attorney writes. UMG’s response to the brief is due March 27.
Drake is the Plaintiff here, but he’s the Defendant in various lawsuits related to alleged fraudulent streaming totals and his role in promoting online gambling. It’s a profitable time for Drake’s lawyers.
