Internet reacts as UMG accuses Drake of the lawsuit just being an attempt to get one over his Kendrick Lamar

UMG is pushing back on Drake’s lawsuit by accusing the rapper of trying to attack the “success of the rap artist who defeated him.”

Universal Music Group (UMG) has filed a motion to have Drake’s recently amended lawsuit thrown out as the legal battle between the Toronto rapper and his record label intensifies.

The lawsuit was originally filed by the rapper’s legal team this past January, accusing the record label of defamation and harassment in the way it handled the release of Kendrick Lamar’s notorious diss track, Not Like Us, which insinuated the rapper was a pedophile, among other things.

The amended lawsuit also takes shots at Lamar’s Super Bowl performance, referring to it as further “evidence” that he’s being targeted. He is claiming that the performance is part of an ongoing smear campaign against him, specifically referencing the “certified pedophiles” lyric from the track.

The new motion filed by the label reads, in part:

"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 p**ophiles – 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."

Fans have since begun shredding the Toronto rapper for his lawsuit, with many ridiculing him for being unable to take a hit. Here’s how one user reacted on X, for instance:

"Drake STILL looking nuts out here."

The comments—or jokes, rather—didn't end there:

"Umg told no lie no lie no lie," one fan quipped.

"When is this going to court so the drama can occur in a productive place???" someone else jokingly probed.

"I thought the case was about bots & proving he’s not their biggest artist, now it’s being exposed to really be about a ngga getting his shine on while your the butt of the joke. this man gotta move on now," a fourth user noted.

Users could not help but poke fun at Drake:

"yeah drake aint winning anything," someone pointed out.

"Drake just needs to drop the lawsuit The damage is done. You lost the battle and that’s ok. It’s what you do after the lost that counts. Drop music and move on. In life you don’t win everything. It’s ok," another suggested.

"It's not too late for Drake to drop, drop, drop, drop this lawsuit. End of the day even after the battle he still was able to sell tickets abroad his reputation isn't down and that's what makes this case so easy for a judge to dismiss so many contradictions," one more added.

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Here's everything we know about Drake and UMG's legal troubles:

The attorneys for UMG also acknowledged the allegations surrounding Kendrick Lamar’s performance, as reported by Variety:

"As Drake concedes, Lamar’s Super Bowl performance did not include the lyric that Drake or his associates are ‘certified p**ophiles’ (i.e., the alleged ‘Defamatory Material’ that is at the heart of this case)."

According to the May 7 report from Rolling Stone, UMG is contending that the rapper’s argument—that the NFL’s decision to ban the word “pedophile” during Lamar’s set at the Super Bowl indicates that the track was defamatory—is unfounded. UMG claims that there could be several reasons for the NFL to do so, including avoiding potential lawsuits from the rapper.

“As Drake concedes, Lamar’s Super Bowl performance did not include the lyric that Drake or his associates are ‘certified pedophiles,’” the label stated. “The focus of Drake’s new claims…betrays this case for what it is: Drake’s attack on the commercial and creative success of the rap artist who defeated him.”

UMG's legal counsel went on:

“Nowhere in the hundred-plus page ‘legal’ blather written by Drake’s lawyers do they bother to acknowledge that Drake himself has written and performed massively successful songs containing equally provocative taunts,” the filing reads. “Drake’s lawyers can also keep seeking to ‘uncover’ evidence of wild conspiracies…but there is nothing to ‘uncover.’”

Nonetheless, UMG claims to stillbe supportive of the rapper's career:

“Despite his lawyers’ attempts to silence other artists and threaten the companies that work with them, we remain committed to propelling Drake’s career… Drake’s included.”

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At the time of writing, Drake’s lawyers have yet to issue a statement, and it remains to be seen just how this rap battle ends. In the meantime, it looks like fans are enjoying picking sides—though the prevailing sentiment online seems to be that the Toronto rapper just doesn’t know how to cut his losses and move on.