The rap artist Drake has sued Universal Music Group NV for defamation in U.S. federal court, accusing the company of putting his life in danger by releasing and promoting a song by his rival and labelmate Kendrick Lamar.
In a complaint filed in the Southern District of New York on Wednesday, Drake -- whose given name is Aubrey Drake Graham -- detailed multiple incidents of violence that occurred at his home in Toronto last spring after Universal released Lamar's so-called diss track "Not Like Us." The song, which was part of a high-profile public dispute carried out through a barrage of releases from the two artists, "falsely accuses Drake of being a pedophile and calls for violent retribution against him," according to the complaint.
"Even though UMG enriched itself and its shareholders by exploiting Drake's music for years, and knew that the salacious allegations against Drake were false, UMG chose corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists," the suit states.
Lamar released "Not Like Us" in May 2024. Within a week, the song became the most-streamed song ever in a seven-day period, with 96 million streams. The song surpassed more than 1 billion streams on Spotify and has been nominated for five Grammy Awards.
Universal knew the allegations within the song were false, according to the lawsuit, but proceeded to promote it because the company understood the "inflammatory and shocking allegations were a gold mine."
The lyrics repeatedly accuse Drake of engaging in criminal acts, including calling him a "certified pedophile" and a "predator" who needs to be "placed on neighborhood watch." The song's album art depicted Drake's Toronto home covered in icons that are known to be used by law enforcement and public safety apps to identify sex offenders' residences, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit made clear that it is "not about the artist who created 'Not Like Us. It is instead entirely about UMG, the music company that decided to publish, promote, exploit and monetize allegations that it understood were not only false, but dangerous."
A UMG spokesperson didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The Netherlands-based company is the world's largest music company and has represented Drake for more than a decade.