Drake has significantly escalated his dispute regarding Kendrick Lamar’s hit song “Not Like Us” with a new legal complaint. He is accusing his and Lamar’s music distributor of earning profits through defamatory actions linked to the diss track.

In a lawsuit filed in federal court in New York on Wednesday, which was reviewed by YSL News, Drake’s lawyers argued that despite a decade of collaboration, Universal Music Group (UMG) “deliberately sought to make Drake a social outcast, which could lead to harassment or worse.” They further alleged that the company aimed to “exploit the damage to Drake’s reputation.”

Drake is seeking legal redress for defamation, second-degree harassment related to promoting violence against him, and deceptive business practices. He claims that “Not Like Us” disseminates harmful allegations about him, such as engaging in sexual activities with minors, participating in sex trafficking, and housing sex offenders.

In response to the accusations, UMG labeled Drake’s claims as “false,” asserting they have never partaken in defamation. A representative for the company stated that Drake is attempting to “manipulate the legal system to suppress an artist’s creative output and to claim damages from UMG for distributing that artist’s work.”

The Grammy-winning artist had signaled in November that he would pursue legal action, filing petitions in both New York and Texas. He accused Universal Music Group, Spotify, and iHeartRadio of collaborating to ensure that Lamar’s track “Not Like Us” gained significant traction on multiple streaming services. Drake requested the court to mandate these companies to provide evidence pertinent to his allegations, a process known as pre-action discovery, to facilitate his lawsuit.

Here are notable points from Drake’s extensive 80-page lawsuit dated January 15.

Security Guard Suffered Severe Injuries from Gunfire at Drake’s Toronto Home

“Shortly after” the release of “Not Like Us,” Drake alleges that “numerous individuals, including at least one armed with a deadly weapon, targeted him.”

According to the lawsuit, at around 2 a.m. on May 7, “a group of men” reportedly fired two shots through the security fence of his home in Toronto, with one bullet striking the door and another seriously injuring a security guard.

“The injuries he sustained were grave, and for two days, medical professionals were uncertain if he would survive,” the lawsuit stated. “Drake and others rushed to assist him, trying to prevent him from bleeding excessively until help arrived.”

Drake Withdraws Son Adonis from School Over Safety Worries

Following this incident, there was reportedly an attempted break-in at Drake’s residence the following day, accompanied by two trespassing incidents on May 9 and 11. Toronto police indicated that the suspect involved in the break-in was detained under the Ontario Mental Health Act and not pursued as a criminal case.

“These violent acts against his home, where Drake lives with his son, and against his business, are not typical. Throughout his career as a celebrity, nothing like the events of early May has ever transpired before,” his lawsuit states. “Drake has since enhanced his security measures in Toronto and everywhere he travels.”

He also took his 7-year-old son Adonis out of his Toronto elementary school “due to safety concerns” and arranged for his son and mother to leave Toronto during the summer break.

Drake Alleges UMG Aimed to ‘Undervalue’ His Music for Negotiation Advantage

Having been under UMG’s contracts since 2009, Drake contended that the label used “Not Like Us” as a negotiating tool as they approached the end of his contract.

“The end of UMG’s contract with Drake was imminent, and reportedly, UMG predicted that extending the contract would be expensive,” the filing asserts. “By undermining Drake’s music and brand, UMG would acquire leverage to compel Drake into signing a new agreement on more favorable terms for UMG.”

In contrast, Interscope Records, a subsidiary of UMG that owns Lamar’s music catalog, purportedly signed an exclusive direct licensing agreement with Lamar’s independent label in 2024, according to Drake’s legal team. Universal Music Publishing Group manages the music publishing rights for both Drake and Lamar.

Interscope “had every motivation to demonstrate its capability to enhance Lamar’s sales following its recent success in persuading him to enter into a direct license for a limited recording commitment of new music,” the lawsuit claimed.