By Emma hynes
Although it’s a new year, Drake isn’t letting go of the allegations directed at him on Kendrick Lamar’s diss track,“Not Like Us.”
After previous legal motions, the rapper filed a federal defamation lawsuit earlier this month against Universal Music Group, the label home to both him and Lamar.
According to The New York Times, the rapper alleges that “corporate greed” is prioritized “over the safety and well-being of its artists.”
Drake’s legal team clarified in the filing that Lamar isn’t a subject of the lawsuit, and the focus of all claims is solely on UMG.
Court documents stated, “It is, instead, entirely about UMG, the music company that decided to publish... allegations that it understood were not only false, but dangerous.”
In response, UMG stated, “Not only are these claims untrue, but the notion that we would seek to harm the reputation of any artist — let alone Drake — is illogical.
Drake’s previous legal motions accused UMG of using a monetization access deal with iHeartRadio to ensure the success of “Not Like Us” by inflating the number of times it played on radio airwaves.
The Canadian ultimately dropped the disparagement claim earlier this week which paved way for the lawsuit, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Lamar’s song emerged as one of the 2024’s standout tracks, dominating the charts across genres.
"Not Like Us" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and garnered five Grammy nominations, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year.