RAPPER Drake has filed a new lawsuit against his record label, accusing it of pushing an “inflammatory and dangerous narrative” by promoting rival Kendrick Lamar’s diss track.
The federal defamation suit, filed in New York on Wednesday, criticizes Universal Music Group for releasing and broadcasting Lamar’s Not Like Us song.
In the suit, Drake said Universal Music Group (UMG) “knew full well” the lyrics, images, and music video by the Compton rapper accused him of being a pedophile, according to TMZ.
Drake claimed Universal Music Group went to great lengths to turn Lamar’s diss track into a “chart-topping” anthem.
The Canadian rapper, born Aubrey Drake Graham, also said the record label played a role in ensuring Lamar headlined the upcoming Super Bowl halftime show, the lawsuit read.
Drake claimed the reason behind the big game slot is for Lamar to perform the diss track on the massive stage, which he calls “one of the most significant (and viewed) cultural events of the year.”
“This lawsuit is not about the artist who created ‘Not Like Us,'” the suit read.
“It is, instead, entirely about UMG, the music company that decided to publish, promote, exploit, and monetize” the song.
The lawsuit added that UMG’s campaign was “intended to convey the specific, unmistakable, and false factual allegation that Drake is a criminal pedophile, and to suggest that the public should resort to vigilante justice in response.”
The complaint noted that the cover art for Not Like Us features a photo of Drake’s home in Toronto dotted with markers meant to represent the presence of registered sex offenders.
Drake also raised concerns how that just days after the song was released, a shooting unfolded at his home in May, where one of his security guards was injured.
In November, Drake, 38, began a petition against UMG in state court in New York and Texas, where he also accused Spotify and radio corporation iHeartRadio of participating in an “illegal scheme” to boost numbers for Lamar’s diss song.
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The petition, which was never filed as a full lawsuit but rather a pre-action move, also accused UMG of “engaging in conduct designed to artificially inflate the popularity of ‘Not Like Us.'”
In the New York pre-action filing, Drake accused UMG, Spotify, and iHeartRadio of using a third party to use bots to increase the streams for Lamar’s track.
On Tuesday, Drake withdrew the pre-action filing in New York against UMG and Spotify and instead decided in favor of a federal lawsuit.
The federal suit against UMG mentions the record label’s alleged scheme to promote Not Like Us using bots and payola.
Drake accused UMG of “valuing corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists.”
Both Drake and Lamar are signed to Universal Music Group.
A hearing in Texas, which includes iHeartMusic, was delayed until late January.
Universal Music Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
RAP WAR
The two rappers have been involved in a vicious and bitter war since last March when Lamar unleashed daggers at both Drake and J. Cole during an appearance on Metro Boomin’s track Like That.
The boiling tension between the two erupted into a full-on rap beef when Drake responded to Lamar with a pair of diss songs, including Push Ups and Taylor Made Freestyle.
Lamar clapped back with the release of Euphoria and 6:16 in LA, where he attacked Drake’s parenting and claims that the Canadian rapper had plastic surgery.
Drake responded with a nearly eight-minute track, Family Matters, which suggested Lamar’s child was actually fathered by his manager, Dave Free.
However, Lamar wasted little time responding, releasing Meet the Grahrams and Not Like Us less than 24 hours after Drake premiered Family Matters.
In Not Like Us, Lamar accuses Drake of being a pedophile, “Certified Lover Boy, certified pedophiles / Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young / You better not ever go to cell block one / Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A-minor.”
Not Like Us shot to the top of the Billboard singles chart and has been streamed more than one billion times on Spotify alone.
The song has been nominated for five Grammy Awards at the upcoming award show, including Record and Song of the Year.
