Drake Officially Sues UMG For Defamation
After news broke yesterday that Drake dropped is legal petition in New York against his label, Universal Music Group (UMG) and Spotify, fans thought the legal feud was over. However, it’s really just beginning, as the rapper has officially sued the label for defamation and harassment.
According to court documents, Drake is accusing UMG of approving, publishing and launching a campaign to “create a viral hit out of a rap track that falsely accuses Drake of being a pedophile and calls for violent retribution against him.” He reiterates that although the lawsuit is over Kendrick Lamar’s song, “Not Like Us,” his target is not Kendrick.
The lawsuit explains, “This lawsuit is not about the artist who created ‘Not Like Us”, It 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.”
In the suit’s legal paperwork, Drake continues to accuse UMG of illegally plotting to make “Not Like Us” a global hit by paying for fake streams and radio play, and claims that the song’s success has led to multiple serious threats on his and his family’s safety.
Shortly after the release of the song, there was a shooting at Drake’s home in Toronto, as well as multiple trespassing incidents.
“After the attacks on his home, Drake pulled his son out of elementary school he attended in Toronto due to safety concerns, and once school ended for the summer, Drake arranged for his son and mother to leave Toronto entirely,” says the lawsuit. “Day to day, Drake continues to take steps to address persistent threats to his security.”
The Hip Hop star also makes claims that UMG’s motivation was purely financial. He was in the middle of contract negotiations when his beef with Kendrick Lamar came to a head, and according to him, the record label knew “Not Like Us” would “devalue Drake’s music and brand,” ultimately giving UMG the upper hand in renegotiating his contract.
“UMG anticipated extending Drake’s contract would be costly,” the lawsuit reads. “By devaluing Drake’s music and brand, UMG would gain leverage to force Drake to sign a new deal on terms more favorable to UMG.”
Drake’s lawsuit demands a jury trial and UMG has yet to provide a legal response to the lawsuit, but has publicly denied all of the rapper’s accusations.
In a statement to the media, UMG called the allegations “untrue” and “illogical.”
“We have invested massively in his [Drake’s] music and our employees around the world have worked tirelessly for many years to help him achieve historic commercial and personal financial success.
Throughout his career, Drake has intentionally and successfully used UMG to distribute his music and poetry to engage in conventionally outrageous back-and-forth ‘rap battles’ to express his feelings about other artists.
He now seeks to weaponize the legal process to silence an artist’s creative expression and to seek damages from UMG for distributing that artist’s music.”
The statement continues to say that UMG has not defamed anyone and will “vigorously defend” its reputation and artists.
Drake’s second legal petition against UMG and iHeartMedia in Texas is still active and a hearing is scheduled for January 28.
