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As predicted, Universal Music Group has moved to dismiss Drake\u2019s defamation lawsuit<\/a> over Kendrick Lamar\u2019s \u201cNot Like Us.\u201d On Monday (March 17), the world\u2019s biggest music company filed its first court response, and yes, they came out swinging.<\/p>\n \u201c[Drake], one of the most successful recording artists of all time, lost a rap battle that he provoked and in which he willingly participated,\u201d UMG stated in the motion<\/a>. \u201cInstead 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\u2019s] complaint is utterly without merit and should be dismissed with prejudice.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth mentioning that the filing opened with a quote from Drake\u2019s 2009 classic, \u201cSuccessful<\/a>\u201d: \u201cYeah, I want it all, that’s why I strive for it \/ Diss me, you’ll never hear a reply for it.\u201d If nothing else, the label\u2019s lawyers knew how to make the 32-page legal document at least somewhat entertaining.<\/p>\n In their response, the attorneys argued that \u201cNot Like Us\u201d falls under \u201cchilling legitimate artistic expression safeguarded by the First Amendment.\u201d They also zeroed in on the visual companion\u2019s \u201cexaggerated imagery,\u201d which notably saw Lamar smashing an owl-shaped pi\u00f1ata and whispering to a clown that he sees \u201cdead people.\u201d<\/p>\n Another interesting point UMG made is that \u201cNot Like Us\u201d didn\u2019t just \u201cemerge out of thin air.\u201d Instead, they said that Drake played a role in escalating the feud, with both rappers \u201churling increasingly vitriolic allegations at each other.\u201d The filing specifically referenced the Canadian hitmaker\u2019s claims about Lamar\u2019s family \u2014 like the insinuations that his son isn\u2019t actually his<\/a> and that he physically abuses his fianc\u00e9e, Whitney Alford \u2014 across \u201cFamily Matters\u201d and \u201cTHE HEART PART 6.\u201d<\/p>\n Elsewhere in the legal papers, UMG\u2019s legal team shared a friendly reminder of Drake\u2019s own stance on rap lyrics in court. \u201cNotably, less than three years ago, Drake himself signed a public petition criticizing \u2018the trend of prosecutors using artists\u2019 creative expression against them\u2019 by treating rap lyrics as literal fact,\u201d the motion read.<\/p>\n For context, he and several other musicians signed 2022\u2019s Art on Trial: Protect Black Art petition<\/a>, which rallied support behind Young Thug amid his high-profile RICO trial. Drake\u2019s lawsuit and the Atlanta rapper\u2019s case are obviously two very different situations, so it\u2019ll be interesting to see if that argument actually holds up in court.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n