Drake has sued Universal Music Group (UMG) over their failure to release this music. He alleges the company damaged his reputation by advertising its release of Kendrick Lamar’s diss record, “Not Like Us.” In January, he filed a lawsuit against UMG. He alleges that the company has intentionally disseminated a “false and malicious narrative” about him, most notably during marquee moments such as the Super Bowl or the Grammys. The album release, ultimately, is alleged in the suit to have broadened listeners to the track’s insidious rhetoric. It accuses Drake of being a “certified pedophile” and a “predator.”
The contention arises from the claim that UMG “intentionally sought to turn Drake into a pariah,” making him a target for harassment in the wake of Lamar’s performance. The lyrics of “Not Like Us” and its incendiary message about immigrants and refugees earned widespread condemnation. According to the lawsuit, the excessive promotion of this specific song led to numerous real-world threats on Drake’s life, including an attack last May when gunmen attempted to intimidate him at his residence. One scary instance included a gunman who shot and injured both Drake’s bodyguard.
Drake’s lawyers have repeatedly emphasized that this suit is not aimed at Kendrick Lamar directly. Rather, they are targeting UMG because of its participation in disseminating the purportedly defamatory material. Both artists are signed to UMG, though on different divisions. The suit alleges that UMG leveraged its relationships to promote Kendrick Lamar’s inflammatory diss track. One other issue moved the goalposts even further on Drake through two of the year’s most high-profile cultural events.
Just last month, Kendrick Lamar took home five Grammy awards. This accomplishment raised his profile enough to land him a starring role in the Super Bowl halftime show a week later. The unfortunate timing of these events led to a spike in streams for “Not Like Us.” This sudden surge in popularity has been directly connected to an uptick in threats against Drake.
A federal judge recently denied UMG’s request to delay discovery in the case, allowing both parties access to sensitive documents which may serve as evidence. This development follows UMG’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit last month, wherein they claimed Drake’s allegations were merely an attempt to salvage his reputation following an unsuccessful rap battle with Lamar.
In response to the complaint, UMG has called the lawsuit “frivolous and reckless.” They claim that it confuses Drake, forcing him to take “absurdly extreme legal measures.”
“Drake, unquestionably one of the world’s most accomplished artists and with whom we’ve enjoyed a 16-year successful relationship, is being misled by his legal representatives into taking one absurd legal step after another,” – UMG spokesperson
In response to UMG’s stance, Drake’s attorney Michael Gottlieb stated that with discovery now underway, they expect to uncover evidence of UMG’s misconduct.
“With discovery now moving forward, Drake will expose the evidence of UMG’s misconduct, and UMG will be held accountable for the consequences of its ill-conceived decisions,” – Michael Gottlieb
For example, Drake’s complaint accuses UMG of putting corporate greed before artist safety by eliminating security measures. He alleges that the label used these made up accusations to profit off of her rather than defending their artist. Whether or not it was well-founded, this situation demonstrates for one that UMG realized the claims being made against Drake were harmful. Yet they decided to continue pushing the song.
“Even though UMG enriched itself and its shareholders by exploiting Drake’s music for years, and knew that the salacious allegations against Drake were false, UMG chose corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists,” – Drake’s complaint
The complaint further alleges that UMG disregarded the threats to Drake’s safety following the release of “Not Like Us,” stating that the label “continued to fan the flames even after learning of the incitement to violence.”
“Not only did streams of the Recording increase significantly following these two mega-cultural events, but threats against Drake and his family did as well,” – Drake’s complaint
Each side is preparing for more litigation. This case raises serious accountability issues for the big music labels and their effect on reputational harm to artists.