Drake Launches Second Lawsuit Against UMG Over Kendrick Lamar Track “Not Like Us”

Drake has escalated his legal battle against Universal Music Group (UMG) by filing a second lawsuit, this time accusing the music giant of defamation. The lawsuit, filed late Monday in a Texas court, alleges that UMG facilitated the release of Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us,” which Drake claims falsely portrays him as a sex offender.

The filing follows a similar pre-action petition submitted earlier that day in New York. In the first case, Drake accused UMG and Spotify of artificially boosting the diss track’s performance to amplify its impact.

Drake’s legal team asserts that UMG could have prevented the release of the track or required edits to remove what they describe as harmful and defamatory content. Instead, they claim the company pursued a strategy to exploit the controversy for profit.

“UMG … could have refused to release or distribute the song or required the offending material to be edited and/or removed,” wrote Drake’s lawyers, according to Billboard. “But UMG chose to do the opposite. UMG designed, financed, and then executed a plan to turn ‘Not Like Us’ into a viral mega-hit with the intent of using the spectacle of harm to Drake and his businesses to drive consumer hysteria and, of course, massive revenues. That plan succeeded, likely beyond UMG’s wildest expectations.”

Do you think Drake will win his case against UMG?