The legal feud between Drake and Universal Music Group (UMG) is heating up, with UMG now firing back at Drizzy’s defamation lawsuit with a scathing motion to dismiss.
In a new filing obtained by Rolling Stone, UMG claps back at the Toronto rapper’s claims that Kendrick Lamar’s now-infamous Super Bowl Halftime Show performance—specifically the omission of the word “pedophiles” from his hit diss track “Not Like Us”—is proof that the lyrics were defamatory.
“Drake’s new allegations are astonishing,” UMG’s filing states. “The focus of Drake’s new claims – that ‘the largest audience for a Super Bowl halftime show ever’ did not hear Lamar call Drake or his crew pedophiles – betrays this case for what it is: Drake’s attack on the commercial and creative success of the rap artist who defeated him, rather than the content of Lamar’s lyrics.”
UMG went further, dismissing Drake’s theory that the censoring of the term proves it’s defamatory: “This ignores any number of other explanations for the decision – such as threats by Drake of additional meritless litigation.” The company also emphasized that Kendrick’s lyrics are protected under the First Amendment and New York state law, blasting the lawsuit as an attempt to “chill legitimate artistic expression.”
The motion seeks a full dismissal of Drake’s massive 107-page amended complaint, which the rapper filed in January at the height of his lyrical war with Kendrick Lamar. In that filing, Drake accused UMG of going all-in to weaponize “Not Like Us” as a career-damaging hit, despite its controversial content.
UMG hasn’t minced words in response. In a separate statement to Rolling Stone, they said: “Nowhere in the hundred-plus page ‘legal’ blather written by Drake’s lawyers do they bother to acknowledge that Drake himself has written and performed massively successful songs containing equally provocative taunts… Nor do they mention that it was Drake who started this particular exchange.”
As of now, Drake and his legal team have yet to respond to UMG’s latest move—but this court battle might be far from over.