Drake is targeting the most significant power player in the music business, Universal Music Group. In the wake of a June 30, 2025, court hearing, Drake’s camp not only argued that their defamation suit should proceed. They struck a match squarely aimed at UMG’s inner workings, accusing the label of dodging accountability and covering up the exploitation of artists for years.
“UMG is terrified of having a court of law confirm that the rapper effectively owns his masters and that the label robbed him of a right that was contractually his,” a rep for Drake said.
The defamation suit surrounding Kendrick Lamar’s infamous diss-song, 'Not Like Us,' is a symbol, one bar in particular: “certified pedophile.” Drake sued Laser Tag after they sampled his voice in every product commercial without permission, ruining his reputation on February 9, 2021.
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Drake says the lyric and UMG’s involvement in distributing and promoting the track have done irreparable harm to his reputation. However, UMG attorneys argue that the lyric is merely an extension of the tradition of hyperbolic trash talk in Hip-Hop. “Trash-talking to the MAX,” they countered, “is not and should not be construed or treated as statements of fact.”
UMG’s argument also pointed the finger back at Drake, citing his propensity for aggressive lyricism and arguing that both he and Kendrick had agreed to get in the ring and neither presented at the hearing.
For now, what has eyebrows raised isn’t only the defamation claim, but what Drake’s team is calling the broader context. They claim that the number of streams for "Not Like Us" is being artificially inflated using bots by UMG, and they argue that it’s not just Drake who suffers the consequences, because the profits are shared among artists on the label according to how many times each track is streamed.
The courtroom discussion turned philosophical when Judge Jeannette Vargas posed a fundamental question: Who is the ordinary listener? Do regular people understand the double entendres, indignities, and code language in Hip-Hop? And perhaps more important, do they see these lyrics as truth, or as so many artful jabs?
Drake’s team believes that UMG has gotten away with operating in the shadows, pulling the strings from the background while avoiding public attention. But the shadows of doubt are long and deep now, stretched by a growing pile of evidence. “Soon the most powerful forces in the music industry will have to look each other in the face and admit we are doing something wrong,” the spokesperson added, “and long overdue.
The ruling could upend the industry, and Judge Vargas is under scrutiny as she weighs her decision. This isn’t a rap beef handled in a court of law but a case that could compel the music business to reckon with its quick-to-burn tendencies.
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