UMG Responds to Drake’s Lawsuit Over Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ 

Universal Music Group isn’t holding back. The label just came through with a bold clapback in response to Drake’s defamation lawsuit over Kendrick Lamar’s fiery diss track “Not Like Us.”

According to court docs filed Monday (March 17), UMG says the lawsuit is nothing more than “Drake’s attempt to save face” after catching a lyrical fade in the rap battle he started.

Drake Reaches Settlement With iHeartMedia In UMG War Over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us”

“Plaintiff, one of the most successful recording artists of all time, lost a rap battle that he provoked and in which he willingly participated,” UMG’s legal team wrote in the filing. “Instead of accepting the loss like the unbothered rap artist he often claims to be, he has sued his own record label in a misguided attempt to salve his wounds.” The motion to dismiss straight up calls the suit “meritless,” saying Drake’s feelings got hurt after Lamar’s record became a cultural moment, not a legal issue.

UMG Says Drake Dished It But Can’t Take It

UMG didn’t mince words. They pointed out that Drake was the one who got spicy first — throwing out wild accusations of domestic abuse and even questioning Kendrick’s paternity in his own diss tracks.

“Drake has been pleased to use UMG’s platform to promote tracks leveling similarly incendiary attacks at Lamar,” the label’s attorneys argued. “But now, after losing the rap battle, Drake claims that ‘Not Like Us’ is defamatory. It is not.”

In other words, UMG is saying — if you were bold enough to throw shots, don’t trip when somebody claps back harder.

This whole saga started when Kendrick dropped “Not Like Us” last May during his headline-grabbing lyrical duel with Drake. The track was a standout moment, going viral and eventually being performed during his Super Bowl halftime set. With lines like “certified pedophile,” Lamar didn’t hold back — and clearly, neither is UMG.

Drake’s Legal Team Fires Back: “This Is Bigger Than Rap”

Of course, Drake ain’t sitting silent either.

In a statement to Billboard, his attorney Michael J. Gottlieb said UMG is trying to make this about bars and rap beef when it’s really about corporate accountability.

“UMG wants to pretend that this is about a rap battle in order to distract its shareholders, artists and the public from a simple truth: a greedy company is finally being held responsible for profiting from dangerous misinformation that has already resulted in multiple acts of violence,” Gottlieb said. “This motion is a desperate ploy by UMG to avoid accountability.”

Drake’s lawsuit, filed in January, accuses UMG of running a smear campaign against their own artist — boosting a song he claims spread a “malicious narrative” about him being a predator, without a shred of truth behind it. Interestingly, Lamar himself wasn’t even named as a defendant in the suit.

UMG Says the Lyrics Are Protected Free Speech

UMG’s response hinges on First Amendment rights, arguing that Lamar’s lyrics are protected speech — even if they sound extreme. The label emphasized that rap, especially diss tracks, is known for using exaggerated and metaphorical language that’s not meant to be taken literally.

“Diss tracks are a popular and celebrated artform centered around outrageous insults, and they would be severely chilled if Drake’s suit were permitted to proceed,” UMG stated. “Hyperbolic and metaphorical language is par for the course in diss tracks — indeed, Drake’s own diss tracks employed imagery at least as violent.”

They’re making it clear: If Drake’s lawsuit succeeds, it could set a dangerous precedent that censors the entire rap game.

Legal Breakdown: Is This Really Defamation or Just Rap Culture?

On a technical level, UMG is pushing the court to recognize that the lyrics in question fall under what’s known as “rhetorical hyperbole” — basically, over-the-top expressions that can’t be proven true or false.

That’s a key distinction in defamation law. To win, Drake would have to show that UMG knowingly spread false statements of fact — not just spicy rap lyrics.

UMG is arguing that’s not what happened here. They say Lamar’s diss was part of a long-standing hip-hop tradition, and if courts start treating rap metaphors like factual claims, it could gut creative expression in the genre altogether.

What’s Next in the Drake vs UMG Legal Battle?

So what’s next? If the court agrees with UMG’s motion, the case might get thrown out entirely. But if not, this thing could get messier — pulling more industry figures into the spotlight and putting rap lyrics under a legal microscope.