UMG dismisses Drake’s “Not Like US” defamation lawsuit
UMG (Universal Music Group) recently dismissed Drake’s defamation lawsuit, describing it as “a misguided attempt” to “save face” after the Canadian rapper lost the diss track battle against American rapper Kendrick Lamar, with the viral song “Not Like Us” ending it all.
According to The Guardian, The music group representing both Drake and Kendrick filed a motion on Monday, March 17 to dismiss the lawsuit claiming that the Canadian rapper only filed it due to facing public embarrassment from losing Kendrick during their diss track feud.
UMG’s attorney wrote, “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 dismisses Drake’s “Not Like US” defamation lawsuit
Their long-running feud eventually resulted in the release of “Not Like US” where Kendrick referred to Drake as a “certified pedophile” which the Canadian rapper didn’t take too kindly, especially after the track went viral across the globe, topping the Billboard Global 200 chart, and receiving a plethora of awards including copping Record and Song of the Year at the 2025 Grammys.
Moreover, Kendrick was invited to the recent Super Bowl to perform the track for everyone in the crowd.
Drake first filed the lawsuit back in January accusing UMG of defamation, and harassment alleging that the record label approved the publishing and promotion of the diss track to convey the Canadian star in a “specific, unmistakable, and false factual allegation” that he’s a criminal pedophile.
The lawsuit also includes comments about the diss track’s cover which pictures Drake’s Toronto home with marks showcasing registered sex offenders across its premises. It also referenced a shooting that happened on the house’s premises days after the track was released leaving one guard injured and two attempted trespasses.
In its dismissal response on Monday, UMG stated that “Drake has been pleased to use UMG’s platform to promote tracks leveling similarly incendiary attacks at Lamar.”
The record label added, “But now, after losing the rap battle, Drake claims that ‘Not Like Us’ is defamatory. It also brought up that the Canadian rapper made “hyperbolic insults” and “vitriolic allegations” against Kendrick Lamar in his diss tracks.
UMG further explained how Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” is protected as free speech under the First Amendment and that similar language is always used in tracks of this caliber. It further adds that Drake also made accusations about Kendrick in his diss tracks, as mentioned above.
