Drake’s label, Universal Music Group, has pointed to a massive flaw in the lawsuit he’s filed against Kendrick Lamar over his hit track, “Not Like Us,” suggesting that the Canadian artist should have done his due diligence regarding Lamar’s performance at the Super Bowl halftime show.
UMG has filed a motion to dismiss Drake’s defamation suit, claiming that he or his legal counsel made a mistake when they amended the filing to include the Super Bowl 59 appearance.
Drake admitted to the damage Kendrick did to him btw. No narratives or slander being pushed here. These are his own words LOL pic.twitter.com/hYE94p1aW4
— babyxheem (@babyxheem) April 16, 2025
According to the label, the suit isn’t about Lamar calling him a pedophile, as he never actually sang those words during the show. Of course, the crowd chanted the lyrics, but Kendrick can’t be blamed for that, although they wouldn’t have done so if not for prior knowledge of the actual song.
According to TMZ, “Universal Music Group filed a motion to dismiss the defamation lawsuit, and in the docs they point out Drake, or his lawyers, made a major misstep when they amended their lawsuit following Kendrick’s performance at Super Bowl LIX.”
UMG Throws Drake’s Own Words Back At Him
The label has also taken a shot at Drake, reminding him of the petition he signed around three years ago that criticized prosecutors for using rap lyrics as evidence in criminal cases.
“Drake was right then and is wrong now,” as his suit is simply an “attempt to save face for his unsuccessful rap battle with Lamar.”
UMG has asserted that rap lyrics are just that: rap lyrics, and shouldn’t form the basis of any legal proceedings, criminal or otherwise.
They’ve referred to Kendrick’s words as “exaggeration for the purpose of art,” also noting that Drake rapped about Kendrick’s child being fathered by another man and labeled him a domestic abuser.
As such, they are urging the judge to throw Drake’s suit out, which would end the legal war but hardly solve the beef between these two prominent artists.