Universal Music Group Seeks Dismissal of Drake’s Defamation Lawsuit Over ‘Not Like Us’

UMG argues the diss track's lyrics are protected as rhetorical hyperbole and accuses Drake of filing the lawsuit to salvage his reputation after losing a rap battle with Kendrick Lamar.

Drake filed a defamation lawsuit against UMG in January 2025, alleging the label promoted Kendrick Lamar's 'Not Like Us,' which he claims falsely accused him of being a pedophile and endangered his safety.
On March 17, 2025, UMG filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, asserting that the lyrics are protected under the First Amendment as hyperbolic and nonactionable opinion.
UMG accused Drake of hypocrisy, citing his prior support for a 2022 petition opposing the use of rap lyrics as literal evidence in legal cases, and argued that diss tracks are a long-standing, exaggerated art form in rap culture.
Drake’s legal team countered that UMG’s motion is an attempt to avoid accountability for profiting from what they describe as dangerous misinformation that resulted in real-world harm to Drake and his family.
The case, which underscores tensions between artistic freedom, corporate accountability, and genre conventions, remains active in the Southern District of New York.