Universal Music Group Responds to Drake’s Defamation Lawsuit, Calls the Idea of Them Seeking to Damage His Reputation Illogical

Universal Music Group has responded to Drake’s lawsuit concerning Kendrick Lamar’s diss track, “Not Like Us,” which accuses the company — his label for over a decade — of defamation.

On Wednesday, Drake filed a lawsuit against UMG for defamation and harassment, alleging that the company spread a “false and malicious narrative” branding him as a pedophile through Lamar’s track, “Not Like Us.”

In response, a UMG spokesperson issued a statement, saying: “Not only are these claims untrue, but the idea that we would seek to harm the reputation of any artist — let alone Drake — is illogical. We 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.”

The statement continued, “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.”

“We have not and do not engage in defamation — against any individual,” the statement concluded. “At the same time, we will vigorously defend this litigation to protect our people and our reputation, as well as any artist who might directly or indirectly become a frivolous litigation target for having done nothing more than write a song.”

In the lawsuit, Drake alleges that UMG was aware that Lamar’s lyrics and images in the song’s music video were false and harmful, and yet chose to prioritize corporate gain over the safety and well-being of its artists. The suit claims that UMG exploited the controversy, “seized the opportunity,” and continued to fuel the narrative for personal and financial gain.

Although Lamar’s lyrics are at the core of the lawsuit, it places significant blame on Universal for releasing, promoting, and monetizing the song: “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.”

Ironically, Universal distributes both Kendrick Lamar’s and Drake’s music — both artists own their recent master recordings via their companies — and has been instrumental in their careers for years. The lawsuit alleges that as Drake’s current deal with UMG approaches its end, the company is attempting to devalue his music and profile to secure more favorable terms in renegotiations.

Drake originally filed a legal petition against Universal and Spotify — and another naming iHeartMedia — in November. However, he withdrew the first petition on Tuesday, paving the way for the current lawsuit. Despite this, Drake seems to have withdrawn claims that UMG and Spotify conspired to falsely inflate the song’s streaming numbers, with both companies denying the allegations.