Drake has turned up the heat on Universal Music Group (UMG), filing a second explosive legal action in as many days—this time in Texas. The rapper alleges that UMG knowingly released Kendrick Lamar‘s controversial track, “Not Like Us,” which he claims falsely accuses him of being a sex offender.
According to Drake, UMG could have halted the release or demanded changes to the song but instead pushed it to become a viral sensation.
The new filing, made public Tuesday, accuses UMG of orchestrating a “pay-to-play scheme” with radio giant iHeartRadio to promote Kendrick’s track.
Drake’s team claims UMG “funneled payments” to ensure the song dominated airwaves, despite its defamatory content.
Drake’s legal team didn’t hold back, alleging that UMG strategically designed a campaign to capitalize on the controversy, saying:
“UMG designed, financed, and executed a plan to turn ‘Not Like Us’ into a viral mega-hit, leveraging the harm to Drake’s reputation to fuel consumer frenzy and rake in massive revenues.”
They also argue that UMG prioritized Lamar’s success at the expense of Drake, despite both artists being longtime members of the label’s roster.
This filing follows Monday’s legal action in New York, where Drake accused UMG of manipulating Spotify to unfairly promote Kendrick’s track.
While neither case is a full-blown lawsuit yet, Drake is seeking depositions from UMG and iHeartRadio to gather more evidence.
His team is prepared to pursue defamation claims and may add civil fraud and racketeering allegations depending on what they uncover.
UMG, however, strongly denies the allegations. In a statement to Billboard, the label called the claims “offensive and untrue,” asserting:
“We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns. Fans choose the music they want to hear.”
The legal drama underscores the escalating feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, whose diss tracks have kept the hip-hop world buzzing.
However, these filings reveal a more serious undercurrent—accusations of unethical behavior by UMG, a label that both artists have called home throughout their careers.
Drake’s accusations paint a picture of a company willing to pit its biggest stars against each other for profit.
For now, Kendrick Lamar remains uninvolved in the legal proceedings and isn’t facing any allegations of wrongdoing.
As this high-stakes battle unfolds, it raises questions about the ethics of music promotion and how far labels will go to prioritize their bottom line.
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