The rivalry between both artists is not new, but it will not immediately reach the courts. A federal judge in New York this Thursday dismissed the civil defamation complaint, filed last January by Canadian rapper Drake against his label Universal Music Group.
The hip-hop star accused his own record label of having “approved, published and launched a campaign to create viral ‘buzz'” around the song. not like us by Kendrick Lamar, a global hit in which his rival calls him a “pedophile.”
Judge Jeannette Vargas based her decision to dismiss this complaint on the fact that the accusations made by Kendrick Lamar are “opinions” and therefore not actionable.
affront to creation
“From the beginning, this complaint was an affront to all artists and their creative expression, and should never have seen the light of day,” a Universal Music Group spokesperson responded in a statement, “pleased with the court’s dismissal of the complaint.”
Despite sharing the same label, UMG, Drake and Kendrick Lamar, both 38, attacked each other on several vitriolic tracks in 2024, a classic hip-hop practice.
Drake (real name Aubrey Drake Graham) believed that by promoting not like usa success with both critics and streaming platforms, their joint record label had chosen “the profit of the company over the safety and well-being of its artists.”
He reported being subjected to “physical threats” (he was shot and wounded by a security guard at his property in Toronto in May 2024) and being “bombarded by online harassment.”
In its press release, UMG “looks forward to continuing its work to successfully promote Drake’s music and invest in his career.”
Source: BFM TV
