UMG Claims Drake 'Encouraged the Feud' With Kendrick Lamar And 'Lost a Rap Battle' in Motion to Dismiss Lawsuit For Not Promoting Diss Track

The Universal Music Group has called out Drake for filing a lawsuit against the label over not promoting his Kendrick Lamar diss track. Scroll down to read the details.

Written by Rashi Desai , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Mar 18, 2025 | 04:33 AM GMT | 10.2K

Drake via Getty Images

The Universal Music Group has slammed Drake after the rapper filed a lawsuit against the label for not promoting the Kendrick Lamar diss track. The label has asked the musician to drop the filing and claimed that the rapper lost the rap battle that he had provoked.

The UGM further went on to reveal in the statement that while the promotion of Not Like Us was off the cards due to the insults for the artist, Drake has previously used the platform to attack Lamar with similar kinds of indecency.

UGM mentioned in their motion that Lamar, in Not Like Us, has targeted Drake and his friends by calling his certified pedophiles. However, it was the Take Care crooner who encouraged the feud, and upon losing, the musician’s behavior was so bitter that the crowd seemingly started to show their support for the latter.

In the filing, UGM mentioned, “Drake encouraged the feud.” They further stated, "For example, when he felt that Lamar was taking too long to respond, Drake released a second recording in which he goaded Lamar to continue the public rap battle. Lamar did just that, and collectively Drake and Lamar released a total of nine tracks, taking aim at each other."

Moreover, the label claimed that Drake seemed happy whenever they promoted a song that included diss words for Lamar. "But now, after losing the rap battle, Drake claims that ‘Not Like Us’ is defamatory. It is not,” revealed the label.

UGM also scrapped off the motion that Not Like Us includes the description of second-degree harassment, and promotion of that violates New York’s general business law.