Drake’s Label Seeks Dismissal of Lawsuit Over Kendrick Lamar ‘Not Like Us’

Common Music Group is firing again at Drake after he filed a lawsuit in opposition to them for alleged defamation.

After the Canadian rapper — whose actual title is Aubrey Graham — sued the document label for releasing and selling Kendrick Lamar’s diss monitor “Not Like Us,” UMG is now searching for to dismiss the swimsuit in a movement filed on Monday, March 17.

Within the swimsuit, the label claims Drake, 38, “misplaced a rap battle that he provoked” and “sued his personal document label in a misguided try to salve his wounds.”

UMG claims that whereas “Not Like Us” options hyperbolic insults, Drake has used the label’s platform “to advertise tracks leveling equally incendiary assaults at Lamar.”

On “Not Like Us,” the Grammy winner refers to Drake and his buddies as “licensed pedophiles” who ought to “be registered and positioned on neighborhood watch.” However based on UMG, the “Hotline Bling” performer inspired the feud, seemingly till the general public appeared to aspect with Lamar, 37.

“Drake inspired the feud,” the submitting states. “For instance, when he felt that Lamar was taking too lengthy to reply, Drake launched a second recording by which he goaded Lamar to proceed the general public rap battle. Lamar did simply that, and collectively Drake and Lamar launched a complete of 9 tracks taking intention at one another.”

The movement additionally states that Drake was “happy” to see UMG promote tracks that hurled accusations of Lamar partaking in home abuse “and that considered one of Lamar’s enterprise companions and managers is the true father of Lamar’s son.”

“However now, after dropping the rap battle, Drake claims that ‘Not Like Us’ is defamatory. It isn’t,” the submitting states.

UMG additionally refutes Drake’s declare that “Not Like Us” constitutes “second-degree harassment” and that the promotion of it violates New York’s common enterprise legislation.

“Lower than three years in the past, Drake himself signed a public petition criticizing ‘the development of prosecutors utilizing artists’ artistic expression in opposition to them’ by treating rap lyrics as literal reality. As Drake acknowledged, in the case of rap, ‘[t]he remaining work is a product of the artist’s imaginative and prescient and creativeness,'” it states.

It continues: “Drake was proper then and is unsuitable now. The grievance’s unjustified claims in opposition to UMG are not more than Drake’s try to avoid wasting face for his unsuccessful rap battle with Lamar. The court docket ought to grant UMG’s movement and dismiss the Grievance with prejudice.”

“UMG desires to fake that that is a few rap battle with the intention to distract its shareholders, artists and the general public from a easy fact: a grasping firm is lastly being held chargeable for cashing in on harmful misinformation that has already resulted in a number of acts of violence,” Drake’s legal professional Michael J. Gottlieb tells PEOPLE in a press release. “This movement is a determined ploy by UMG to keep away from accountability, however we’ve got each confidence that this case will proceed and proceed to uncover UMG’s lengthy historical past of endangering, abusing and benefiting from its artists.”

In January, Drake sued Common Music Group, his personal document label, for releasing and selling Kendrick Lamar’s diss monitor “Not Like Us.”

In court docket paperwork obtained by PEOPLE, Drake alleged that the label “accepted, printed, and launched a marketing campaign to create a viral hit out of a rap monitor that falsely accuses Drake of being a pedophile and requires violent retribution in opposition to him.”

In “Not Like Us,” “cloaks cleverly harmful lyrics behind a catchy beat and alluring hook,” Drake’s swimsuit claimed.

Within the swimsuit, the “God’s Plan” performer additionally claimed that the duvet artwork and music video for “Not Like Us” featured his residence in Toronto with labels much like these utilized by legislation enforcement to pinpoint intercourse offenders.

By no means miss a narrative — join PEOPLE’s free day by day e-newsletter to remain up-to-date on the most effective of what PEOPLE has to supply​​, from movie star information to forcing human curiosity tales.

On the time UMG responded to the submitting calling the claims “unfaithful.”

“The notion that we might search to hurt the popularity of any artist—not to mention Drake—is illogical. We now have invested massively in his music and our workers around the globe have labored tirelessly for a few years to assist him obtain historic business and private monetary success,” a spokesperson for the label informed PEOPLE in a press release.

They added: “All through his profession, Drake has deliberately and efficiently used UMG to distribute his music and poetry to have interaction in conventionally outrageous back-and-forth ‘rap battles’ to specific his emotions about different artists.  He now seeks to weaponize the authorized course of to silence an artist’s artistic expression and to hunt damages from UMG for distributing that artist’s music.”

“We now have not and don’t have interaction in defamation — in opposition to any particular person.  On the identical time, we are going to vigorously defend this litigation to guard our folks and our popularity, in addition to any artist who may instantly or not directly grow to be a frivolous litigation goal for having finished nothing greater than write a music,” the rep concluded.

On the time, PEOPLE contacted Drake’s authorized staff — led by Gottlieb — for a remark, however didn’t obtain a response.