UMG's counsel calls Drake's Super Bowl accusations “astonishing” and attack on Kendrick Lamar's success

On Wednesday, May 7, 2025, almost a month after Drake filed an amended complaint in his defamation suit against Universal Music Group, the music label filed a motion to dismiss the suit.

One would recall that in January 2025, the Hotline Bling hitmaker instituted proceedings against his record label for defamation for promoting the Not Like Us song by Kendrick Lamar, also signed to UMG. The music label filed a motion to dismiss Drake’s lawsuit in March, and in April, the rapper amended his complaints in the case.

The rapper alleged that Kendrick Lamar’s omission of the word “p*dophile” during his Super Bowl performance was evidence that the lyrics were defamatory. UMG has described the Canadian rapper’s claims as "astonishing" and an attack on the success of his rap rival.

The official statement from UMG reads:

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

It continues:

"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*dophiles — 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."

More details on Drake and UMG’s defamation case as record label seeks to dismiss suit for the second time

In Drake’s initial complaint against UMG, the rapper stated that the company:

"Decided to publish, promote, exploit, and monetize allegations that it understood were not only false, but dangerous. UMG did so not because it believes any of these false claims to be true, but instead because it would profit from damaging Drake’s reputation.”

Kendrick Lamar released Not Like Us in May 2024 during his highly publicized rap beef with the Canadian rapper Drake. During the back-and-forth between the rappers, Drake also released tracks like Push Ups and Taylor Made Freestyle.

Universal Music Group's motion for dismissal, filed May 7, 2025, addressed the seemingly biased nature of Drake's lawsuit, explaining that the rapper had also made derogatory statements against other artists while engaging in rap battles.

“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 against other artists."

The music label also stated that the rapper's legal team was trying to find wild conspiracies where there are none:

“Drake’s lawyers can also keep seeking to ‘uncover’ evidence of wild conspiracies as to why one song that upset Drake had massive global appeal, but there is nothing to ‘uncover.’"

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The motion ended with UMG expressing that, notwithstanding the legal drama between themselves and the megastar, the company remained "committed to propelling Drake’s career while maintaining our unwavering support of all our artists’ creative expression. Drake’s included.”

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