Drake is pushing back even harder in his ongoing legal fight with Universal Music Group. He just filed an amended complaint, sharpening his claims that UMG weaponized Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime show to publicly slander him.
In the new court filing, submitted Wednesday night, the rapper alleges the performance “assassinated” his character. The complaint builds on the initial lawsuit filed in January, but now zeroes in on Kendrick’s record-breaking halftime show and the intentional omission of the word “pedophile” in the song “Not Like Us.”
According to the complaint, Drake claims this move—cutting the lyric—wasn’t just censorship. It was calculated.
“No other modifications were made,” the filing reads. “On information and belief, Kendrick Lamar would not have been permitted to perform during the Super Bowl Performance unless the word ‘pedophile’ (in the phrase ‘certified pedophiles’) was omitted from the lyrics—that is because nearly everyone understands that it is defamatory to falsely brand someone a ‘certified pedophile.’
The complaint also calls attention to the massive reach of the halftime show. With over 133 million viewers, Drake says the show took the song to a whole new audience—many who had never even heard “Not Like Us” before.
“It was the first, and will hopefully be the last, Super Bowl halftime show orchestrated to assassinate the character of another artist,” the complaint reads.
Drake’s Legal Team Doubles Down: “UMG Will Be Held Accountable”
Drake’s lawyer, Michael Gottlieb, had strong words following the amended complaint.
“The amended complaint makes an already strong case stronger,” Gottlieb said. “UMG’s PR ‘spin’ and failed efforts to avoid discovery cannot suppress the facts and the truth. With discovery now moving forward, Drake will expose the evidence of UMG’s misconduct, and UMG will be held accountable for the consequences of its ill-conceived decisions.”
This new update comes three months after Drake first sued Universal, accusing them of helping amplify damaging narratives—not because they believed them—but because they saw profit.
In that initial complaint, Drake said UMG “intentionally sought to turn Drake into a pariah, a target for harassment, or worse.” The updated complaint now places Lamar’s performance as a major example of how far UMG allegedly went to tarnish his name.
UMG Responds: Calls Lawsuit “Baseless,” Warns Drake to Be Careful
UMG isn’t staying quiet. Hours after the amended complaint went public, the label fired back with a long statement defending its actions and blasting Drake’s legal strategy.
“Drake, unquestionably one of the world’s most accomplished artists and someone we’ve shared a successful 16-year relationship with, is being misled by his legal team into taking one absurd legal step after another,” UMG said.
They argued that the lawsuit could have dangerous implications for creative expression in the music industry. UMG also pointed out that the discovery process is now underway—and that Drake could end up facing some tough questions himself.
“Drake is subject to discovery as well,” the company said, “so he should be careful what he wishes for.”