Universal fires back at ‘illogical’ Drake lawsuit

Drake’s lawsuit was filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York on Wednesday, marking the latest chapter in his long-running feud with Lamar.

The pair hit the headlines on a number of rap tracks last year. In one, Drake accused Lamar of domestic abuse. Lamar responded with Not Like Us, in which he characterized Drake and his entourage as “certified pedophiles” who should be “registered and placed on neighborhood watch”.

In court documents, Drake claimed Universal knew Lamar’s lyrics were fake but “continued to fan the flames” of the controversy for profit.

He claimed that the record company launched “a campaign to create a viral hit” out of the song and suggested that a shooting at his Toronto mansion last May was directly linked to these actions.

Universal, he said, “chose corporate greed over the safety and welfare of its artists”.

However, the lawsuit did not target Lamar himself.

“This lawsuit is not about the artist who created Not Like Us,” the court documents state.

“Instead, it is all about UMG, the music company, that decided to publish, promote, exploit and monetize claims that it understood to be not only false, but dangerous.”