Supply: Cole Burston / Getty
Common Music Group (UMG) has filed a movement to dismiss an amended lawsuit filed by the file label’s personal business darling, Drake, who initially filed the go well with in January — accusing the label of deliberately engaged in defamation by selling Kendrick Lamar‘s cultural phenomenon of a diss monitor, “Not Like Us” — and amended the go well with in April “to concentrate on occasions that occurred because the preliminary submitting,” in accordance with Selection.
The lawsuit, which many individuals throughout the web have panned as Drake’s misguided effort of saving face after he was totally defeated in a beef along with his Compton rival final summer time, seems responsible UMG for Kendrick performing “Not Like Us” throughout the Tremendous bowl halftime present in February, and through 2025 Grammy Awards the identical month.
UMG had beforehand argued that Drake willfully engaged within the battle with Ok-Dot of his personal accord, and he’s now simply lashing out as a result of it turned out to be an L that he insists on dragging out along with his authorized filings. (I’m positively paraphrasing UMG, however principally, the label implied Drake has purchaser’s regret from writing a verify his expertise on the mic couldn’t money.) UMG’s movement, which it filed Wednesday, famous that throughout the Tremendous Bowl efficiency, Kendrick self-censored his “licensed pedophile” line, which is cited within the defamation go well with.
From Selection:
On Wednesday, UMG as soon as once more filed to dismiss, this time for the amended criticism, largely sustaining the arguments from the unique movement whereas addressing the newer claims made within the up to date criticism. Counsel for the corporate started by stating that Drake filed an amended criticism the place he “eliminated clearly false factual allegations,” and stated that the “new allegations are astonishing.”
Relating to the Tremendous Bowl efficiency, legal professionals for UMG wrote, “As Drake concedes, Lamar’s Tremendous Bowl efficiency didn’t embody the lyric that Drake or his associates are ‘licensed pedophiles’ (i.e., the alleged ‘Defamatory Materials’ that’s on the coronary heart of this case). The main focus of Drake’s new claims—that ‘the biggest viewers for a Tremendous Bowl halftime present ever’ didn’t hear Lamar name Drake or his crew pedophiles—betrays this case for what it’s: Drake’s assault on the business and inventive success of the rap artist who defeated him, somewhat than the content material of Lamar’s lyrics.”
In an announcement to Selection, UMG reiterated its argument that Drake walked himself into his beef with Kendrick all on his personal, and that he has performed the diss monitor recreation with different artists up to now.
“Nowhere within the hundred-plus web page ‘authorized’ blather written by Drake’s legal professionals do they hassle to acknowledge that Drake himself has written and carried out massively profitable songs containing equally provocative taunts towards different artists,” a UMG spokesperson stated. “Nor do they point out that it was Drake who began this explicit change. Apparently, Drake’s legal professionals consider that when Drake willingly participates in a performative rap-battle of music and poetry, he might be ‘defamed’ regardless that he engages in the very same type of artistic expression.”