Source: Prince Williams/Wireimage/Joseph Okpako/WireImage / Prince Williams/Wireimage/Joseph Okpako/WireImage
Drake has added another filing to his feud with Universal Music Group, alleging defamation occurred in favor of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.”
Yesterday, Drake once again sent the hip-hop world into a polarizing frenzy when news broke that he initiated a legal filing against his label, UMG. Following the success of Kendrick Lamar’s massive hit “Not Like Us,” the Canadian Karen has questions about the tactics used to promote the track. Yesterday’s legal filing alleges that shady business practices between Universal Music Group and Spotify led to the song seeming bigger than it was.
For now, a lawsuit hasn’t been filed so all of this is speculation on Drake’s behalf while requesting preservation of communication that could substantiate the claims.
According to Billboard, Drake went back-to-back with yet another legal filing this time claiming defamation. This second filing also gives better insight into the overarching issue between the artist and the conglomerate. In the legal filing, it’s alleged UMG “funneled payments” to radio stations in a payola scheme featuring a record “falsely accusing him of being a sex offender.”
Drake claims the label knew the “certified pedophile” accusations were false and released the damaging track anyway.
“UMG … could have refused to release or distribute the song or required the offending material to be edited and/or removed,” Drake’s lawyers write. “But UMG chose to do the opposite. UMG designed, financed and then executed a plan to turn ‘Not Like Us’ into a viral mega-hit with the intent of using the spectacle of harm to Drake and his businesses to drive consumer hysteria and, of course, massive revenues. That plan succeeded, likely beyond UMG’s wildest expectations.”
On “squabble up” Kendrick rapped about Drake seemingly selling “wolf tickets” for confrontation until he silenced it and Drizzy is seemingly trying to open shop again. We will have to wait and see if he actually files a lawsuit. However if the motive was to silence chatter about Kendrick’s album GNX, that would also make sense.
For now, stay tuned as this is far from the last development in Drake’s highest-stakes gamble yet.