Drake Files Federal Defamation Lawsuit Against UMG Over ‘Not Like Us’

1:00 PM PT — A spokesperson for Universal Music Group tells TMZ … “Not only are these claims untrue, butthe notion that we would seek to harm the reputation of any artist — let alone Drake — is illogical. We have invested massively in his music and our employees around the world have worked tirelessly for many years to help him achieve historic commercial and personal financial success.

“Throughout his career, Drake has intentionally and successfully used UMG to distribute his music and poetry to engage in conventionally outrageous back-and-forth ‘rap battles’ to express his feelings about other artists. He now seeks to weaponize the legal process to silence an artist’s creative expression and to seek damages from UMG for distributing that artist’s music.

“We have not and do not engage in defamation — against any individual. 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.”

Drake is not backing down in the war against his own label, in fact he’s now upped the ante by suing Universal Music Group for spreading the “false and malicious narrative” he’s a pedophile … TMZ Hip Hop has learned.

Drake filed the defamation case Wednesday morning in federal court in NYC … ripping UMG for releasing and promoting Kendrick Lamar‘s vicious diss track, “Not Like Us.” In the docs, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, Drake says UMG knew full well Kendrick’s lyrics, and images in the music video, referring to Drake as a pedophile were false and dangerous.

In the suit he calls Kendrick’s hit — filled with “inflammatory and shocking allegations”– was a “gold mine” for UMG … and he says they had an ulterior financial motive in promoting it.

Drake claims his label was doing everything it could to pump up “Not Like Us” because it knew it would devalue his music and brand … and, therefore, give UMG leverage in future contract negotiations with Drake.

Keep in mind, Drake’s last UMG contract, signed in 2022, was a blockbuster deal worth a reported $400 million!

Drake says he’s got bot receipts to show just how far the label went to turn Kendrick’s song into an anthem. According to the suit, UMG paid a third party to use bots to increase the song’s streams by at least 30 million — and engaged in a “pay for play” scheme with at least one radio promoter.

He claims UMG attached the label “chart-topper” to “Not Like Us,” despite knowing that title was based on fraudulent data.

It’s also clear Drake’s very mindful of what’s going down in New Orleans next month — in the suit, he claims UMG was in on getting Kendrick the Super Bowl Halftime gig … so, the song could be performed on that massive stage, which he calls “one of the most significant (and viewed) cultural events of the year.”

Ya gotta wonder — will the NFL and FOX, which is airing the Super Bowl, allow Kendrick to use the pedophile lyrics when he performs??

Interestingly, Drake isn’t going directly after Kendrick in the suit — in fact, he says, “This lawsuit is not about the artist who created ‘Not Like Us.’ It is, instead, entirely about UMG, the music company that decided to publish, promote, exploit, and monetize” the song which it knew contained false claims.

As for how the song put Drake in danger … he points out that since Kendrick dropped the megahit there have been multiple shootings at or near his Toronto mansion, one of which ended with one of his security guards getting shot.

The music industry — and fans of Kendrick and Drake — thought Drake was retreating in this legal battle, because on Tuesday he’d filed a motion to drop a legal action he’d filed against UMG and Spotify in New York state court. Our sources tell us that was merely done to clear the way for this new federal case.