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Drake amends UMG defamation suit to reference “Not Like Us” at the Super Bowl

BBG News

Drake updated his lawsuit for defamation against Universal Music Group, incorporating Kendrick Lamar’s rendition of “Not Like Us” during the Super Bowl into the case.

Lamar’s half-time show in February was highly acclaimed and is said to be the most-watched halftime performance ever. Many spectators pondered over how he would handle his Grammy-winning diss track, “Not Like Us,” which contains harsh lyrics including a line that allegedly implicates Drake as a pedophile.

In my perspective as a movie-lover, I changed a particular lyric during my performance, and Drake referenced this alteration in his updated lawsuit. Now, there’s another line that I delivered, one which garnered significant attention – “You seem to enjoy them young.

Kendrick Lamar was forbidden from performing at the Super Bowl if he didn’t remove the phrase ‘certified pedophiles’ from his lyrics, according to Drake’s lawyers in their revised lawsuit. This is because it’s considered defamatory to wrongfully accuse someone of being a ‘certified pedophile’.

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Could a potential performance of ‘Not Like Us’ by the Compton rapper at the Super Bowl halftime show lead to a defamation lawsuit, as explained by criminal defense attorney Ken White?

In their revised statement, Drake’s team explained that the decision to blur out the word ‘pedophile’ did not clear up the defamatory implications of his Super Bowl performance. On the contrary, the performance served to reinforce public beliefs about the accusations made against Drake.

The initial, and supposedly the only one, Super Bowl half-time performance appears to have been designed with the intention of damaging another artist’s reputation, as the complaint further stated.

Approximately three months ago, Drake initiated a lawsuit against Universal Music Group, the company to which both he and Lamar are contracted. However, it’s important to note that Drake did not sue Lamar personally. His accusation was that UMG had been promoting a song that he considers defamatory.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, UMG stated that “Drake, a globally acclaimed artist whom we’ve had a thriving 16-year partnership with, is being guided by his legal advisors into pursuing one illogical legal action after another, which UMG finds unjustified. We will prove that all remaining claims are baseless. It’s regrettable that these pointless and unnecessary legal maneuvers persist. They not only harm Drake’s reputation but also lack any prospect of success.

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In New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome, the rapper from Compton often pondered during his 13-minute stage time whether to play his upcoming hit song about Drake in 2024.

In response to a request for information that could potentially expose Lamar’s contract with UMG, the company stated, “Two weeks ago, his representatives claimed victory following the approval of a routine discovery motion. This ‘victory’ could turn into a ‘loss’ if this baseless lawsuit isn’t dismissed altogether, as Drake would also face the possibility of being required to disclose information in return.

“Be careful what you wish for,” they added.

Ken White, a well-known First Amendment lawyer, stated that Lamar’s rendition of “Not Like Us” at the Super Bowl is unlikely to significantly impact Drake’s attempts to sue Universal Music Group (UMG), as he discussed with The Times in January.

White commented, “There seems to be a small risk involved, given Drake’s approach. He intentionally targeted Universal Music Group (UMG), emphasizing that it wasn’t about Kendrick Lamar. Instead, it was more like he wanted to confront UMG, not Kendrick. Essentially, all Drake could argue is that UMG promoted the song during the Super Bowl, which led to Kendrick Lamar getting the gig.

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2025-04-17 23:01

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