UMG has filed a motion to dismiss Drake’s defamation lawsuit over ‘Not Like Us,’ arguing that he willingly engaged in a rap battle widely considered a loss “Instead of accepting the loss like the unbothered rap artist he often claims to be, he has sued his own record label in a misguided attempt to salve his wounds.” “In spring of 2024 two of the most popular artists in the world engaged in a rap battle […] Drake encouraged the feud, for example, when he felt that Lamar was taking too long to respond, Drake released a second recording (Taylor Made) in which he goaded Lamar to continue the public rap battle. Lamar did just that” “One of the most successful recording artists of all time, lost a rap battle that he provoked and in which he willingly participated.”
Umg calls out Drake for also using their platform to use defamatory remarks against Kendrick Lamar, saying Lamar engaged in domestic abuse and Dave free is his son’s father “Drake has been pleased to use UMG’s platform to promote tracks leveling similarly incendiary attacks at Lamar, including, most significantly, that Lamar engaged in domestic abuse and that one of Lamar’s business partners and managers is the true father of Lamar’s son. But now, after losing the rap battle, Drake claims that “Not Like Us” is defamatory. It is not. While the Complaint focuses almost entirely on “Not Like Us,” it disregards the other Drake and Lamar diss tracks that surrounded “Not Like Us” as well as the conventions of the diss track genre, and, thus, critically ignores the context of the dispute”
