topnaijanews Stay informed with the latest Nigerian news at your fingertips
In a motion moved on Monday, Universal Music Group asked the court to dismissed the suit filed against the label by Drake.
According to UMG, Kendrick Lamar‘s ‘Not Like Us’ song is a part of a long history of hip-hop diss culture which it also claimed Drake was attempting to write because he lost.
The lable also claimed Lamar’s comments in the song was protected under the First Amendment which guaranteed free speech.
According to Billboard, UMG lawyers argued that “The plaintiff, one of the most successful recording artists of all time, lost a rap battle that he provoked and in which he willingly participated. 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.”
UMG pointed out Drake’s lyrics in the ‘Taylor Made Freestyle,’ where he used an AI-generated voice of late rapper 2Pac to demand a reply from Kendrick Lamar.
This, according to the label, was sufficient evidence that Drake filled and actively participated in the beef, and that he’s only insitituting a defamatory lawsuit because he lost.
According to TMZ, Drake’s attorney lead attorney Mike Gottlieb argued that UMG was attempting to hoodwink the public into thinking the issue was merely a rap beef rather than an attempt to hold the label responsible for profiting off dangerous misinformation.
“UMG wants to pretend that this is about a rap battle in order to distract its shareholders, artists and the public from a simple truth: a greedy company is finally being held responsible for profiting from dangerous misinformation that has already resulted in multiple acts of violence. This motion is a desperate ploy by UMG to avoid accountability, but we have every confidence that this case will proceed and continue to uncover UMG’s long history of endangering, abusing and taking advantage of its artists.”
The Story of Far
Drake’s beef with Kendrick Lamar has been regarded as one of the most iconic in hip-hop history.
The aftermath of the rap battle has seen Drake emerge as the most injured with Lamsr’s hit song ‘Not Like Us’ inflicting the heaviest blow.
In the song, Kendrick Lamar called Drake a certified pedophile. A claim that has become the major crux of Drake’s lawsuit against UMG who distributed the song.
To add insult to injury, the song won Kendrick Lamar 5 awards at the 67th Grammys. The Compton rapper also performed the song at the 2025 Superbowl.
What next for Drake & UMG
Both Drake and UMG will be arguing their respective cases before the court.
While UMG seeks to dismiss the suit, Drake’s lawyers will be hoping to convince the court that his claims of injury resulting from the falsehood in Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ is sufficient reason to hear the case.
Drake will also be aiming to assert his claims that UMG used unethical means to artificially boost the song’s popularity to cause he further damages.
Despite losing the beef, Drake has retained his status as the foremost rapper globally as he topped the 2024 IFPI list as the best-selling hip-hop act.
