Drake has been called out by UMG in their latest filing to dismiss his defamation lawsuit against them.
Drizzy recently amended his lawsuit against his own record label to update it with what he claims is more recent evidence that support his claims of being defamed, specifically citing Kendrick Lamar’s performance at the Super Bowl.
In a new filing, UMG have motioned to dismiss the amended lawsuit, addressing the Canadian rapper’s new claims.
The filing criticizes Drake’s claim that Lamar’s Super Bowl performance is evidence of defamation: “As Drake concedes, Lamar’s Super Bowl performance did not include the lyric that Drake or his associates are ‘certified pedophiles’ (i.e., the alleged ‘Defamatory Material’ that is at the heart of this case).
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“The focus of Drake’s new claims—that ‘the largest audience for a Super Bowl halftime show ever’ did not hear Lamar call Drake or his crew pedophiles—betrays this case for what it is: Drake’s attack on the commercial and creative success of the rap artist who defeated him, rather than the content of Lamar’s lyrics.”
A statement from UMG also blasts Drake as a hypocrite given his own songs contained claims about Lamar.
The statement reads: “Nowhere in the hundred-plus page ‘legal’ blather written by Drake’s lawyers do they bother to acknowledge that Drake himself has written and performed massively successful songs containing equally provocative taunts against other artists. Nor do they mention that it was Drake who started this particular exchange.
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“Apparently, Drake’s lawyers believe that when Drake willingly participates in a performative rap-battle of music and poetry, he can be ‘defamed’ even though he engages in the exact same form of creative expression.”
They added: “Drake’s lawyers can also keep seeking to ‘uncover’ evidence of wild conspiracies as to why one song that upset Drake had massive global appeal, but there is nothing to ‘uncover.’ Except for this: by working tirelessly in partnership with our artists, we achieve global success for them and their music.
“Our continuing partnership with Drake and his enduring success is a shining example. Despite his lawyers’ attempts to silence other artists and threaten the companies that work with them, we remain committed to propelling Drake’s career while maintaining our unwavering support of all our artists’ creative expression. Drake’s included.”
Drake and his legal team have not yet responded to the filing.
