Right now, Drake is engaged in a legal battle with Universal Music Group (UMG) over his claim that the company engaged in defamation by promoting the song “Not Like Us”.
Drake is also using the courts to demand that UMG release information they allegedly concealed to protect Kendrick Lamar, despite there being no evidence that such information exists.
Drake’s lawsuit should be framed within the broader feud between him and Kendrick Lamar, in which both artists have levied a wide range of accusations at one another. The escalation into a legal battle can be seen as an evolution of this conflict.
Currently, one of Drake’s primary claims is that UMG should not have been promoting “Not Like Us”, calling it defamatory according to NPR. Furthermore, an article from NBC News states Drake is alleging that UMG used illegitimate means to boost the song, including the use of bots.
The NY Times reports that the core of this accusation is that UMG willingly promoted the song despite it being harmful to Drake. It also notes that, Drake is claiming that the track resulted in threats against him and his family. These threats supposedly intensified after Lamar’s Super Bowl performance of the song.
To win the case, Drake would need to prove that the company acted with actual malice—knowingly spreading false information. According to Newsweek, he is unlikely to succeed.
While music labels do play a large role in promoting their content, UMG has denied sabotaging Drake. In an interview with Forbes, UMG CEO Lucian Grainge called the legal accusations groundless, saying he hadn’t even listened to “Not Like Us” until after its release.
Grainge added that it would make no sense for UMG to intentionally harm Drake’s career, as he is one of their biggest investments.
Drake is also seeking access to information in court that the UMG allegedly holds on Kendrick. According to Drake, this information could prove two notable accusations he made against Kendrick while the two rappers were exchanging diss tracks.
The first is that Kendrick was involved in a brutal incident of domestic violence. The second is that one of Kendrick’s children was actually fathered by music producer Dave Free. Free is a friend and collaborator of Lamar.
The domestic violence allegation against Kendrick did not originate with Drake. In 2014, a woman working as a security guard alleged that she witnessed Lamar beat another woman at a casino, according to a Medium article recapping the situation.
The accusation was covered in some articles at the time, but nothing came of it. This is largely because the woman who was allegedly beaten never came forward or identified herself.
The Medium article also explains that outside of the security guard’s account, there was no evidence against Lamar, other than confirmation that he was present at the casino when the incident allegedly took place.
At the time, Lamar responded shortly afterwards on The Breakfast Club, calling the accusations baseless. The matter faded into obscurity until Drake revived it in his 2024 diss track “Family Matters.” In that song, Drake not only claims the incident happened but that the woman being abused was Kendrick’s partner, Whitney Alford.
Meanwhile, the other accusation—that one or more of Kendrick’s children were fathered by Dave Free—appears to stem entirely from internet rumors.
Regardless, Drake claims that UMG currently holds information that will prove these accusations true, despite the lack of evidence supporting this. While Drake is operating within his legal right to sue UMG, whether any of his claims are legitimate remains to be seen.
Still, it’s not everyday a rap beef goes all the way to court. Whether or not Drake succeeds, this situation raises the question of whether lawyering up will become an essential part of rap battles in the future.
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