Drake’s legal battle with Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” has taken yet another turn—this time, with Drizzy’s attorneys using the Super Bowl halftime show as a prime example of how the alleged defamation is ruining his life.
In a letter filed on Monday (February 24), Drake’s lawyer Michael J. Gottlieb clapped back at UMG’s claim that his team was preparing to drop “key allegations” from the lawsuit. According to Gottlieb, that’s simply not the case—UMG is just trying to stall. And what better way to prove his point than by bringing up the 133.5 million people who watched Kendrick Lamar metaphorically stomp on Drake’s reputation during the biggest sporting event of the year?
Gottlieb argued that delaying the case would “unfairly prejudice” Drake, who is still suffering from UMG’s alleged smear campaign. “At the same time UMG has been delaying here, UMG launched new campaigns to further spread the defamatory content [‘Not Like Us’], including at the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show,” he wrote.
That’s right—Drake’s team is using the halftime show as legal evidence of the damage caused by Kendrick’s viral diss track. And let’s be honest, if the entire NFL and Apple Music production team is hyping up a song that accuses you of being a predator, you might just have a case.
The lawsuit, which Drake filed last month in New York federal court, alleges that UMG intentionally boosted ‘Not Like Us’ through sketchy means, including buying fake streams and radio play, all while pocketing massive profits. But according to Drizzy’s side, this wasn’t just about money—it was also a strategic takedown aimed at making contract negotiations harder for him.
“By devaluing Drake’s music and brand, UMG would gain leverage to force Drake to sign a new deal on terms more favorable to UMG,” the lawsuit claims.
UMG, for their part, has been trying to push back a pre-trial conference scheduled for April 2, hoping to first get the case dismissed altogether. But Drake’s legal team isn’t having it—they want the trial to move forward ASAP and for UMG to start handing over receipts (literally).
In the meantime, one thing is clear: Drake is officially in the halftime show Hall of Fame… just not in the way he probably wanted.