Drake, the hip-hop superstar, is now adding to his defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group, complaining about Kendrick Lamar’s performance of the track “Not Like Us” during the 2025 Super Bowl. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in federal court in Manhattan, states that the song was broadcast to over 133 million people, including children, and claims it was a deliberate attack on Drake’s character.
The lawsuit mentions that Lamar removed the word “pedophile” during the performance, implying that the word was defamatory. It also alleges that Universal Music used its business connections to secure Lamar’s Super Bowl spot and promoted the performance.
Drake’s lawyer, Michael Gottlieb, stated that the amended complaint strengthens their case, adding that Universal Music Group will be held accountable for its actions. The 2025 Super Bowl was the most-watched ever, according to Nielsen.
In response, Universal Music denied Drake’s allegations, stating that the artist is being misled by his legal team. They called the legal actions “foolish and frivolous.”
The lawsuit also points out that defamatory parts of “Not Like Us” were played at the Grammy Awards, where the song won five awards, including Song and Record of the Year. Drake accuses Universal Music of helping secure the Grammy nominations and allowing the song to be played during the ceremony.
Drake performs at the tourIn January, Drake filed a lawsuit against Universal Music for publishing and promoting “Not Like Us,” which contains pedophilia allegations against him. He claims the song led to incidents at his home and harmed his reputation. The amended lawsuit adds more evidence of online comments linking him to the pedophilia allegations.
Drake, a 38-year-old Canadian rapper, and Lamar, a 37-year-old Pulitzer Prize winner, have had a long-standing feud, which escalated last year. Both rappers released diss tracks, including Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” where he raps, “Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young / You better not ever go to cell block one.”
Universal Music argues that Drake helped fuel the beef with his own diss tracks, and says he lost the rap battle. They believe Drake’s lawsuit is an attempt to cope with his defeat.
