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As predicted, Universal Music Group has moved to dismiss Drake’s defamation lawsuit over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” On Monday (March 17), the world’s biggest music company filed its first court response, and yes, they came out swinging.
“[Drake], one of the most successful recording artists of all time, lost a rap battle that he provoked and in which he willingly participated,” UMG stated in the motion. “Instead of accepting the loss like the unbothered rap artist he often claims to be, he has sued his own record label in a misguided attempt to salve his wounds. [Drake’s] complaint is utterly without merit and should be dismissed with prejudice.”
It’s worth mentioning that the filing opened with a quote from Drake’s 2009 classic, “Successful”: “Yeah, I want it all, that’s why I strive for it / Diss me, you’ll never hear a reply for it.” If nothing else, the label’s lawyers knew how to make the 32-page legal document at least somewhat entertaining.
In their response, the attorneys argued that “Not Like Us” falls under “chilling legitimate artistic expression safeguarded by the First Amendment.” They also zeroed in on the visual companion’s “exaggerated imagery,” which notably saw Lamar smashing an owl-shaped piñata and whispering to a clown that he sees “dead people.”
Another interesting point UMG made is that “Not Like Us” didn’t just “emerge out of thin air.” Instead, they said that Drake played a role in escalating the feud, with both rappers “hurling increasingly vitriolic allegations at each other.” The filing specifically referenced the Canadian hitmaker’s claims about Lamar’s family — like the insinuations that his son isn’t actually his and that he physically abuses his fiancée, Whitney Alford — across “Family Matters” and “THE HEART PART 6.”
Elsewhere in the legal papers, UMG’s legal team shared a friendly reminder of Drake’s own stance on rap lyrics in court. “Notably, less than three years ago, Drake himself signed a public petition criticizing ‘the trend of prosecutors using artists’ creative expression against them’ by treating rap lyrics as literal fact,” the motion read.
For context, he and several other musicians signed 2022’s Art on Trial: Protect Black Art petition, which rallied support behind Young Thug amid his high-profile RICO trial. Drake’s lawsuit and the Atlanta rapper’s case are obviously two very different situations, so it’ll be interesting to see if that argument actually holds up in court.