Music <\/p>\n
Lawyers for Universal Music Group (UMG)<\/a> formally responded to Drake<\/a>\u2019s federal lawsuit against the major label<\/a> today (March 17) and asked the court to dismiss the defamation case. The court filing opens with some lyrics from Drake\u2019s memorable So Far Gone<\/em><\/a> song \u201cSuccessful<\/a>\u201d: \u201cYeah, I want it all, that\u2019s why I strive for it\/Diss me, you\u2019ll never hear a reply for it.\u201d<\/p>\n After the epigraph, UMG\u2019s lawyers argue: \u201cPlaintiff [Drake], one of the most successful recording artists of all time, lost a rap battle that he provoked and in which he willingly participated. 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. Plaintiff\u2019s Complaint is utterly without merit and should be dismissed with prejudice.\u201d<\/p>\n The motion goes on to describe the feud<\/a> between Drake and Kendrick Lamar<\/a>, saying that a public beef is \u201cnot unique in the world of rap.\u201d In fact, the lawyers also compliment Drake as \u201ca prolific rap feud combatant, having traded diss tracks with a number of artists including Pusha T and Meek Mill.\u201d<\/p>\n UMG\u2019s lawyers also note that Drake and Lamar\u2019s feud included multiple songs with outlandish lyrics and insinuations. The most popular and successful diss track of the battle, Lamar\u2019s \u201cNot Like Us<\/a>,\u201d therefore does not differ greatly from the other songs, as it also \u201cconsists of hyperbolic insults,\u201d they argue.<\/p>\n \u201cDrake, who had no concerns using UMG\u2019s platform to publish slurs about Lamar during their rap feud, now claims that \u2018Not Like Us\u2019 is defamatory,\u201d the lawyers state. \u201cDrake fails to state a claim for defamation because \u2018Not Like Us\u2019 conveys nonactionable opinion and rhetorical hyperbole, not fact, and because Drake cannot adequately allege that UMG acted with actual malice.\u201d<\/p>\n Lawyers for UMG go on to defend the label against Drake\u2019s claims of harassment and improper promotion of \u201cNot Like Us.\u201d<\/p>\n In a statement shared with Pitchfork, Michael J. Gottlieb, Drake\u2019s lead attorney, said: \u201cUMG wants to pretend that this is about a rap battle in order to distract its shareholders, artists and the public from a simple truth: A greedy company is finally being held responsible for profiting from dangerous misinformation that has already resulted in multiple acts of violence. This motion is a desperate ploy by UMG to avoid accountability, but we have every confidence that this case will proceed and continue to uncover UMG\u2019s long history of endangering, abusing and taking advantage of its artists.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n