Drake Files Defamation Lawsuit Over ‘Not Like Us’ Lyrics

After accusing Spotify and Universal Music Group of artificially inflating and boosting numbers for Kendrick Lamar's diss track, Not Like Us, Drake has now withdrawn the legal petition against the two music companies. This comes two months after originally filing legal action, alleging that Lamar and company had violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and deceptive business practices. Both UMG and Spotify denied the allegations, claiming that fans determine what music is popular. As soon as news of a potential lawsuit was released, many music fans would use this as further fuel as to why Kendrick Lamar walked away victorious in their historic rap battle. 

Aside from withdrawing a petition, Drake would also file a federal defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group, accusing them of perpetuating a false and malicious narrative that he is a pedophile. This lawsuit would be the latest as it was filed on Wednesday morning, just a day after pulling the pre-action move. In the lawsuit, Drake alleges that UMG knowingly spreading inflammatory lyrics and imagery in Kendrick's song. He would also accuse the label of leveraging the song for financial gain with the intention to devalue his brand while also strengthening their position when it comes to future contract negotiations. What's different from the previous lawsuit is this new one doesn't target Kendrick directly, but instead focuses on UMG and how they published and monetized the track. 

Furthermore, Drake claims the songs accusations have incited violence; he's used the multiple shootings near his Toronto mansion as an example of the violence the song has caused. 

Now, Lamar accusing Drake of pedophilia was just one moment in the ongoing rap feud that produced multiple diss songs from both artists. Not Like Us would eventually reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the song of the summer. 

According to court documents filed in New York this past Tuesday, Drake met with representatives from both music companies. According to Variety, Spotify filed an opposition to the case and had no objections while Universal reserved its position and didn't file an opposition. 

Back in November 2024, when the petition was initially filed, it was a 'pre-action' move, claiming that UMG "engaged in conduct designed to artificially inflate the popularity of Not Like Us...including by licensing the song at drastically reduced rates to Spotify and using bots to generate the false impression that the song was more popular than it was in reality"

In response, UMG would share a statement with Variety. Their denial read: "The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue. We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns. No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear"

By comparison, part of Spotify's objection read: "Spotify has no economic incentive for users to stream Not Like Us over any of Drake's tracks. Only one of Spotify for Artists' tools, Marquee, was purchased on behalf of the song for 500 EU to promote the track in France. Marquee is a visual ad that is disclosed to users as a Sponsored Recommendation."

In addition, Spotify would also deny any arrangement with UMG to license the song at a lower rate than usual. The back and forth would continue, as Drake's legal team would then respond to Spotify's objection: "It is not surprising that Spotify is trying to distance themselves from UMG's allegedly manipulative practices to artificially inflate streaming numbers on behalf of one of its other artists. If Spotify and UMG have nothing to hide then they should be perfectly fine complying with this basic discovery request"

Now that the initial pre-action case against Spotify and UMG is over, the second petition against UMG and iHeartRadio still remains. 

So, what do you guys think about Drake's dismissal of the pre-action move against Spotify and Universal Music Group?