Drake has taken his legal war with Universal Music Group (UMG) to a new level, filing a 107-page amended complaint that zeroes in on Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LVIII halftime performance. According to the legal filing, the performance of Lamar’s viral diss track “Not Like Us” was allegedly part of a broader, orchestrated effort to “assassinate the character” of Drake in front of a global audience.
The complaint, submitted in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims Lamar’s back-to-back performances of “Not Like Us” at the Super Bowl and Grammy Awards, both watched by millions, falsely painted Drake as a pedophile. Drake’s legal team insists the lyrical content and its subliminal messaging jeopardize his safety and reputation, especially after the track’s repeated hook, “Tryna plays the good guy, huh / Not like us,” took on new weight during the high-profile televised events.
Drake’s legal team argues that even though Lamar omitted the word “pedophile” in the Super Bowl rendition of the track, the implication remained crystal clear to viewers familiar with the song. The amended suit states:
“UMG deliberately supported and promoted Lamar’s performances in ways that went beyond artistic freedom and into defamatory territory, monetizing a public character attack to profit off the viral beef between its artists.”
UMG has pushed back hard, calling the lawsuit meritless and warning Drake that the case opens him up to discovery, meaning private messages, contracts, and other materials could become public if the case proceeds.
“This lawsuit is a reckless attack on artistic expression and an abuse of the legal system to silence criticism,” UMG stated in a reply to the complaint. “Drake should be careful what he wishes for.”
This legal filing comes on the heels of weeks of escalating diss tracks between Drake and Kendrick, with “Not Like Us” taking center stage. The track dominated the charts following its release and was performed by Lamar as the closer to his electrifying Super Bowl set, a move that many took as the final blow in their lyrical standoff.
Drake claims that as a result of the performance and the narrative pushed by UMG, he has received threats online and in public, and that the implications of being labeled a predator have caused irreversible damage to both his personal life and brand. His legal team is seeking undisclosed damages and a court-ordered injunction against further distribution or promotion of defamatory content.
A hearing on UMG’s motion to dismiss the complaint is scheduled for June 30, 2025. If the case is not thrown out, both sides could be headed to a full-blown jury trial later this year. The estimated length of the trial is three weeks.
In the meantime, both artists remain publicly silent about the lawsuit. But behind the scenes, the hip-hop industry is watching closely as this unprecedented legal clash could change how labels handle beefs, especially when their biggest stars are at odds.
