Drake has filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) in which he alleges bosses at the music giant defamed him by promoting Kendrick Lamar’s diss track Not Like Us.
On Tuesday, the Canadian rapper voluntarily withdrew his pre-action filing against UMG and streaming service Spotify, having accused executives of conspiring to artificially inflate the streaming figures for the song, in which Lamar accuses him of paedophilia.
However, Drake filed another lawsuit against UMG leaders in a New York court on Wednesday.
According to legal documents obtained by Reuters, lawyers for the One Dance hitmaker alleged the song was “intended to convey the specific, unmistakable, and false factual allegation that Drake is a criminal paedophile” as well as indicate to the public that they should exert “vigilante justice”.
In addition, Drake claimed that the track put himself and his family in danger, leading him to travel with extra security and remove his seven-year-old son from a school in Toronto.
The hip-hop artist, real name Aubrey Drake Graham, is seeking damages for defamation and harassment.
“UMG may spin this complaint as a rap beef gone legal, but this lawsuit is not about a war of words between artists,” the lawsuit reads. “Notwithstanding a relationship spanning more than a decade, UMG intentionally sought to turn Drake into a pariah, a target for harassment, or worse. UMG chose corporate greed over the safety and wellbeing of its artists.”
Lamar is not a defendant in the case, despite lawyers claiming Not Like Us is defamatory.
Representatives for the 37-year-old have not yet commented on the complaint.
But in a statement issued on Wednesday, a spokesperson for UMG denied all of Drake’s allegations, insisting it would be “illogical” for the company to work against one of its own artists.
“We have not and do not engage in defamation – against any individual,” a representative said, reports Billboard. “At the same time, we will vigorously defend this litigation to protect our people and our reputation, as well as any artist who might directly or indirectly become a frivolous litigation target for having done nothing more that write a song.”
Last year, Drake and Lamar released a series of diss tracks against each other, with Not Like Us proving to be the most successful.
Drake, 38, denied the incendiary allegations in his response song, The Heart Part 6.
