A hip-hop superstar beef was cranked up another notch Wednesday when sued Universal Music Group for defamation over rival diss track B次元官网网址淣ot Like Us.B次元官网网址�
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in New York City, alleges UMG B次元官网网址� the parent record label for Drake and Lamar B次元官网网址� published and promoted the track even though it included false pedophilia allegations against Drake and suggested listeners should resort to vigilante justice. Lamar is not named in the suit.
The result, the suit says, was intruders and two attempted break-ins at DrakeB次元官网网址檚 Toronto home, online hate and harassment, a hit to his reputation and a decrease in his brandB次元官网网址檚 value before his contract renegotiation with UMG this year.
B次元官网网址淭he lawsuit is not about the artist who created B次元官网网址楴ot Like Us,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� the lawsuit says, referring to Lamar. B次元官网网址淚t is, instead, entirely about UMG, the music company that decided to publish, promote, exploit, and monetize allegations that it understood were not only false, but dangerous.B次元官网网址�
The suit later alleges, B次元官网网址淯MG did so because it understood that the RecordingB次元官网网址檚 inflammatory and shocking allegations were a gold mine.B次元官网网址�
And, the suit claims, the music company has made large investments and used its connections to arrange for B次元官网网址淣ot Like UsB次元官网网址� to be performed at next monthB次元官网网址檚 Super Bowl, where Lamar will be
The lawsuit, which is seeking a trial and an undisclosed amount of money for damages, also repeated allegations in other legal filings that UMG on streaming services.
The track is nominated for five Grammys, including record of the year and song of the year.
UMG disputed the lawsuitB次元官网网址檚 allegations in a statement Wednesday afternoon.
B次元官网网址淣ot only are these claims untrue, but the notion that we would seek to harm the reputation of any artist B次元官网网址� let alone Drake B次元官网网址� is illogical,B次元官网网址� the company said. B次元官网网址淲e have invested massively in his music and our employees around the world have worked tirelessly for many years to help him achieve historic commercial and personal financial success.B次元官网网址�
The company added: B次元官网网址淭hroughout his career, Drake has intentionally and successfully used UMG to distribute his music and poetry to engage in conventionally outrageous back-and-forth B次元官网网址榬ap battlesB次元官网网址� to express his feelings about other artists. He now seeks to weaponize the legal process to silence an artistB次元官网网址檚 creative expression and to seek damages from UMG for distributing that artistB次元官网网址檚 music. B次元官网网址�
Representatives for Lamar did not respond to emails seeking comment.
between Drake, a 38-year-old Canadian rapper and singer and five-time Grammy winner whose full name is Aubrey Drake Graham, and Lamar, a 37-year-old , is among the biggest in hip-hop in recent years, with two of the genreB次元官网网址檚 biggest stars at its center.
The two were occasional collaborators more than a decade ago, but Lamar began taking public jabs at Drake starting in 2013. The fight last year.
DrakeB次元官网网址檚 lawyers, from New York-based Willkie Farr & Gallagher, said the lawsuit seeks to hold UMG accountable for knowingly promoting false and defamatory allegations against him. They said the shooting and break-in attempts at DrakeB次元官网网址檚 home, and the online vitriol, prompted him to move his family out of the house, and that he fears for his and their safety.
B次元官网网址淏eginning on May 4, 2024 and every day since, UMG has used its massive resources as the worldB次元官网网址檚 most powerful music company to elevate a dangerous and inflammatory message that was designed to assassinate DrakeB次元官网网址檚 character, and led to actual violence at DrakeB次元官网网址檚 doorstep,B次元官网网址� the law firm said in a statement.
B次元官网网址淭his lawsuit reveals the human and business consequences to UMGB次元官网网址檚 elevation of profits over the safety and well-being of its artists, and shines a light on the manipulation of artists and the public for corporate gain,B次元官网网址� it said.
