Drake’s legal team has responded to Universal Music Group’s recent rebuttal to the amended legal complaint filed as part of the case regarding Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.“
On April 16, the Toronto rapper’s legal team filed a 107-page amended complaint targeting Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl and Grammy performances. According the updated complaint, which was filed in a New York court, Drake’s legal team argues that Lamar’s performance of “Not Like Us” during the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show—broadcast to 133 million viewers—was “orchestrated to assassinate [Drake’s] character.”
A key point made in the complaint hinged on the theory that the NFL’s decision to remove the word “pedophile” from the televised performance served as proof that both the league and UMG recognized the lyric’s defamatory nature.
In UMG’s response to the complaint, the company appeared to warn Drake about the possible ramifications of his actions while also suggesting his legal counsel was misleading him.
“Drake, unquestionably one of the world’s most accomplished artists and with whom we’ve enjoyed a 16-year successful relationship, is being misled by his legal representatives into taking one absurd legal step after another,” the company said in a statement. “Both the Texas and New York proceedings are an affront to all artists and creative expression. Should his legal representatives senselessly keep the New York lawsuit alive, we will demonstrate that all remaining claims are without merit.”
In a statement obtained by AllHipHop, a spokesperson for Drake refuted the claims UMG brought forth in their response, which confirmed Drizzy and his legal team were fully aware of what they are up against.
“UMG’s latest statement is a desperate attempt to spin the narrative and deflect from the truth: Drake is holding the largest music conglomerate in the world accountable for its actions and doing so without fear,” the statement read in part.
As the statement continued, the spokesperson not only suggested that “UMG knows the case against it is only getting stronger” but also stated that Drake himself has nothing to hide—while also putting pressure on executives at the label, namely CEO Lucian Grainge.
“Drake welcomes discovery and has nothing to hide,” the statement reads. “It’s not Drake who should worry; it’s UMG’s current leadership. We look forward to hearing from Lucian Grainge, John Janick, and UMG employees under oath.”
The statement added, “Drake joins a growing chorus of artists raising questions about UMG’s leadership. The public and artists should be concerned about recent headlines involving UMG’s largest stakeholder that only reinforces the need for transparency all the way up to the Board of Director’s level.”
In dramatic fashion, the statement concludes, “UMG said, ‘be careful what you ask for,’ Drake knows exactly what he asked for: the truth and accountability.”
Prior to Drake’s team issuing the meticulous response to UMG, Kanye West threw his full support behind Drizzy’s lawsuit against the label, calling it “the biggest victory in music history” while urging rap artists to stop targeting each other and focus on the industry’s power players.
