Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia


What happened
Rapper Drake filed a second of two legal petitions over rival Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" diss track Tuesday, accusing Universal Music Group of defamation for allowing the release of the track "falsely accusing him of being a sex offender." Drake has also accused UMG — which owns both Drake's and Lamar's labels — of conspiring to artificially inflate the popularity of "Not Like Us" on Spotify and other streaming services.
Who said what
Drake's initial action, filed Monday in Manhattan by his company Frozen Moments LLC, accuses UMG of an illegal operation "involving bots, payola and other methods" to promote Lamar's track, said Billboard.
The second suit, filed in Texas, accuses UMG of "knowing Lamar's track contained allegations about Drake that his lawyers say are false," said Forbes, including claims that he is a "certified pedophile" and "predator." The filing also claims the record label "funneled payments" to iHeartRadio in a "pay-to-play scheme."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
Neither of Drake's legal actions are lawsuits. They are "pre-action filings intended to take depositions" from officials at UMG and iHeartRadio to "obtain more information for a potential lawsuit," said Variety.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.
-
Cracker Barrel crackup: How the culture wars are upending corporate branding
In the Spotlight Is it 'woke' to leave nostalgia behind?
-
'It's hard to discern what it actually means'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump lambasts crime, but his administration is cutting gun violence prevention
The Explainer The DOJ has canceled at least $500 million in public safety grants
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Conservatism is rising. Just look at the music.
In the spotlight The radio reflects American culture
-
Music reviews: Ethel Cain, Amaarae, and The Black Keys
Feature "Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You," "Black Star," and "No Rain, No Flowers"
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
The 5 best singers turned actors of all time
the week recommends It's not often that someone is born with both of these rare skill sets
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Music reviews: Tyler Childers and Madonna
Feature "Snipe Hunter" and "Veronica Electronica"