According to the petition obtained by Variety, Drake is said to be taking a legal stand against Kendrick Lamar’s claims he is a pedophile.
Drake filed the petition in Texas on Tuesday, Nov. 25, accusing Universal Music Group as distributors of the Kendrick Lamar hit “Not Like Us,” knowing that it “falsely” accuses him of having had inappropriate relationships with young women.
Drake’s legal rep argues that the label “could have refused to release or distribute the song or required the offending material to be edited and/or removed. But UMG chose to do the opposite.
Therefore, for UMG to design, finance, and then execute a plan to turn ‘Not Like Us’ into a viral mega-hit, was an intentional means of using the spectacle to harm him and his businesses to drive consumer hysteria and, of course, massive revenues.
If true, then it was a success plan that likely went beyond UMG’s wildest expectations.”
Related stories
Drake also believes that UMG allegedly “funneled payments” to radio network iHeart as part of a “pay-to-play scheme” to promote “Not Like Us” on the airwaves.
This is the second petition, which follows Drake’s first petition accusing UMG and Spotify of being in cahoots against him in the “artificial inflation” of “Not Like Us” streaming numbers.
Drake’s accusations have since been denied in a statement by the label stating;
“The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue,” detailed the memo.
“We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns.
No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.“
Variety also reported that neither of Drake’s two petitions is an actual lawsuit.
They are, however, a “pre-action filing that is intended to take depositions from key figures at UMG and iHeart to obtain more information for a potential future lawsuit.”
