The diss battle between two mammoth artists in hip hop is far from over — except now, it has taken an entertaining legal turn. While the lawsuit has been ongoing ever since Drake first moved to hold UMG accountable over Kendrick’s ‘Not Like Us,’ Drake has since revised his defamation lawsuit.
According to recent reporting by Rolling Stone, the amended complaint as part of the revised lawsuit argued that the word “pedophile” was banned by the NFL from Kendrick’s Half Time performance at the Super Bowl — which, according to Drake’s legal team, strengthens the claim that ‘Not Like Us’ is defamatory.
UMG, in response, moved on Wednesday to dismiss the claims and not without a hint of sass. It said, “Drake’s new allegations are astonishing. …The focus of Drake’s new claims – that ‘the largest audience for a Super Bowl halftime show ever’ did not hear Lamar call Drake or his crew pedophiles – betrays this case for what it is: Drake’s attack on the commercial and creative success of the rap artist who defeated him, rather than the content of Lamar’s lyrics.”
But it didn’t stop there. The label continued to mock Drake’s argument by stating that “Drake contends that the decision not to include the word ‘pedophiles’ (as used in the phrase ‘certified pedophiles’) in Lamar’s Super Bowl performance could only reflect that the language is defamatory, but this ignores any number of other explanations for the decision – such as threats by Drake of additional meritless litigation,” referencing the fact that the NFL banned the word three weeks after Drake sued the label.
🚨Breaking News🚨
UMG confirms that Drake indeed threatened to sue the NFL if Kendrick performs “Not Like Us.”
Read footnote 🤭🤣 pic.twitter.com/7PlFTvlAts
— Laughingatyou (@ADominion6FIG) May 8, 2025
Later in a statement, a spokesperson from the label continued to belittle Drake’s argument by stating that what Drake’s team has conveniently ignored is the fact that Drake has himself made songs of a similar nature that contain “provocative taunts against other artists” and that Drake is the one who “started this particular exchange.” Citing the lack of viable claims, UMG maintains its position regarding the dismissal of the lawsuit. UMG even flipped the narrative that Drake being called a pedophile was unprovoked, as can be seen in the quotation below.
UMG is petty as hell 🤣
“Drake HIMSELF goaded Lamar to “Talk about (Drake) liking young girls.” That Lamar then did so does not convey anything other than that Lamar accepted Drake’s invitation.”
He’s COOKED. 😭👌🏼 pic.twitter.com/oSOChvdMTJ
— Laughingatyou (@ADominion6FIG) May 8, 2025
Stay tuned as the story develops further!
