Drake Expands Lawsuit Against Universal Music Group Over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us”

Drake is intensifying his legal confrontation with Universal Music Group (UMG) in connection with Kendrick Lamar’s controversial track, “Not Like Us.”

The rapper claims that Lamar’s Grammy win and Super Bowl halftime performance have further tarnished his public image.

Both Drake and Lamar are signed under UMG, though with separate divisions, and their ongoing diss track rivalry reached a peak in 2024, with Lamar gaining a significant chart advantage.

Drake initially filed a lawsuit against UMG in January, accusing the company of defaming him by promoting Lamar’s diss track, which includes highly derogatory lyrics. These lyrics describe Drake as a “certified pedophile” and a “predator,” urging that he be placed on a neighborhood watch list.

In response, UMG filed a motion to dismiss the case, arguing that the lawsuit was merely an effort by Drake to salvage his reputation after the unsuccessful rap battle against Lamar.

However, in an updated complaint filed in a New York federal court on Wednesday, Drake’s legal team argued that the widespread visibility of the Grammys and the Super Bowl performance exposed the defamatory song to an even larger audience. The filing highlighted that these major events attracted significant attention, resulting in a sharp increase in streams of Lamar’s song—and, disturbingly, a rise in threats directed at Drake and his family

Lamar’s Grammy victory in February, where he took home five awards, was followed just a week later by his high-profile Super Bowl halftime performance. Despite the massive audience, Lamar chose not to repeat the “pedophile” line during the live performance, which was viewed by a staggering 133.5 million people, according to the Associated Press.