Not one to let bygones be bygones, Drake has filed yet another lawsuit over Kendrick Lamar’s diss-track-turned-2024-megahit, “Not Like Us.” Drake has filed a defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group over the line in “Not Like Us” where Kendrick calls him a “certified pedophile,” a play on Drake’s own name for himself, “Certified Loverboy.”
Drake is accusing UMG of defamation for distributing the song, which “falsely” accuses the “One Dance” rapper “of being a sex offender.” In the lawsuit, Drake claims that UMG was aware that Kendrick’s “pedophile” allegations against Drake were false and the label still chose to distribute it anyway.
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“UMG … could have refused to release or distribute the song or required the offending material to be edited and/or removed,” Drake’s legal team argues. “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,” Drake’s attorney’s add. “That plan succeeded, likely beyond UMG’s wildest expectations.
The new suit follows a “pay-to-play scheme” suit that Drake filed earlier this week, accusing UMG of using “bots and a payola scheme” to inflate the popularity of “Not Like Us.”
According to the legal documents, Drake claims an “inside source” advised him that UMG made “covert payments” to various media institutions, such as radio stations, to play and promote Kendrick’s song.
