Kendrick Lamar’s diss track was 'just exaggeration', says Universal in Drake's defamation lawsuit

Universal Music Group (UMG) is pushing back against a lawsuit filed by Drake, saying the rapper is upset about losing a rap battle he started and is now blaming them for it. On Monday, March 17, 2025, UMG asked the court to dismiss Drake’s defamation case, arguing that Kendrick Lamar’s song Not Like Us was just part of a typical rap feud full of exaggerations and insults that fans don’t take as literal truth.
In his lawsuit, Drake claims UMG helped spread lies about him by promoting Not Like Us, a song where Lamar accuses Drake of being a paedophile. He also claimed that the record company secretly paid people and offered lower licensing fees to encourage radio stations and streamers to push the track, all to hurt his image during contract negotiations. He believes that UMG was trying to make him look bad so they could get an advantage in business talks.
But UMG says that’s not true. According to them, this was just a rap battle, and both artists threw harsh words at each other. They pointed out that Drake himself made serious accusations in his diss track Family Matters, claiming Lamar hit his wife and wasn’t the father of his child. UMG says that fans understand these songs are full of trash talk, not statements of fact.
It also compared diss tracks to opinion letters or satire, explaining that people don’t think these lyrics are facts. They mentioned a similar legal case where The New York Times wasn’t found guilty of defamation because the statements were seen as opinions, not facts. They also brought up a case involving Barstool Sports and actor Michael Rapaport, where the court decided that even harsh accusations were not defamation because they were clearly opinions shared during a public fight.
The music company said they followed the same process when they released Drake’s songs, including Family Matters, and that no one at UMG believed they were spreading lies about him. They said the song’s exaggerated lyrics, wild visuals, and fiery tone show it’s just part of rap culture, not an attempt to ruin Drake’s reputation with false facts.
UMG’s lawyer, Rollin Ransom, wrote that Drake willingly took part in the rap battle, and now that he lost, he’s trying to sue his way out of it instead of accepting the defeat. UMG also argued that Drake’s claim they used bots to inflate Not Like Us streams is weak, saying he has no proof that they paid third parties or manipulated streaming numbers. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Drake’s complaint relied on an unnamed person from a Twitch stream who accused Lamar’s label of using bots to boost the song’s plays.
Drake’s lawyer, Michael Gottlieb, hit back, saying UMG is trying to distract people from the fact that they made money from spreading dangerous misinformation. He added that the situation has already led to real violence. Drake has said that after the diss tracks dropped, his security guard was shot outside his Toronto home. He believes Lamar’s lyrics encouraged violence.
The court recently refused UMG’s request to pause the case, meaning things are moving forward. Drake also wants to question UMG executives in Texas court and get documents about their role in promoting Not Like Us.