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Universal Music Group has filed a scathing motion to dismiss Drake‘s New York lawsuit against them for promoting Kendrick Lamar‘s “Not Like Us,” stating that he’s only suing because he “lost a rap battle” and took legal action to “salve his wounds.”
The motion, filed Monday, took a cutting approach to making the case for dismissal, claiming that Drake “lost a rap battle that he provoked and in which he willingly participated.
The filing notes that Drake himself signed a public petition less than three years ago criticizing “the trend of prosecutors using artists’ creative expression against them” by interpreting rap lyrics as fact. “Drake was right then and is wrong now,” reads the motion.
In its motion to dismiss, Universal is arguing that Drake fails to make a claim for defamation in his suit, stating that it’s a double standard to expect them to promote his diss tracks against Lamar and not vice versa.
The motion adds that “Not Like Us” “conveys non-actionable opinion and rhetorical hyperbole, not fact,” meaning they can’t be accused of acting with malice, and further claims that there’s no basis for the suit since Drake failed to state a claim for “harassment in the second degree” and under New York General Business Law.
Angela Yang | NBC News. (2025, March 18). Drake's record label files motion to dismiss his 'Not like us' lawsuit. NBC New York. https://www.nbcnewyork.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/universal-music-group-response-drake-lawsuit-kendrick-lamar-not-like-us/6190827/?os=io..refapp&ref=app