Drake Sues His Own Record Label for Alleged Defamation over Kendrick Lamar's Diss Track 'Not Like Us'

Following diss tracks released about each other, Drake is suing Universal Music Group, his own record label, for releasing and promoting Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us.”

The “God’s Plan” rapper filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on Wednesday, Jan. 15.

According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Drake, 38 (whose real name is Aubrey Drake Graham), alleges that Universal Music Group “approved, published, and launched a campaign to create a viral hit out of a rap track that falsely accuses Drake of being a pedophile and calls for violent retribution against him.”

In the May 2024 song “Not Like Us,” Lamar, 37, “cloaks cleverly dangerous lyrics behind a catchy beat and inviting hook,” Drake’s suit claims.

The suit further identifies the line: “Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young,” which Lamar raps in the song, and claims that Lamar calls Drake a “certified pedophile” that should be “placed on neighborhood watch.”

Additionally, Drake alleges in the suit that the cover art and music video for “Not Like Us” featured his home in Toronto with labels similar to those used by law enforcement to pinpoint sex offenders.

According to the complaint, Universal Music Group, Drake’s record label since 2009, has allegedly “repeatedly defamed Drake while ‘exploiting’ and ‘monetizing’ his work” by releasing “Not Like Us.”

The lawsuit alleges that “Not Like Us” was “intended to convey the specific, unmistakable, and false factual allegation that Drake is a criminal pedophile, and to suggest that the public should resort to vigilante justice in response.”

The music label allegedly “decided to publish, promote, exploit, and monetize allegations that it understood were not only false, but dangerous,” as per the complaints. The document goes on to state that Drake is “not a pedophile.”

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“Drake has never engaged in any acts that would require he be ‘placed on neighborhood watch.’ Drake has never engaged in sexual relations with a minor,” the document claims. “Drake has never been charged with, or convicted of, any criminal acts whatsoever.”

Universal Music Group responded to the filing on Wednesday.

“Not only are these claims untrue, but the notion that we would seek to harm the reputation of any artist—let alone Drake—is illogical. We have invested massively in his music and our employees around the world have worked tirelessly for many years to help him achieve historic commercial and personal financial success,” a spokesperson for UMG told PEOPLE in a statement.

“Throughout his career, Drake has intentionally and successfully used UMG to distribute his music and poetry to engage in conventionally outrageous back-and-forth ‘rap battles’ to express his feelings about other artists.  He now seeks to weaponize the legal process to silence an artist’s creative expression and to seek damages from UMG for distributing that artist’s music.”

They continued: “We have not and do not engage in defamation — against any individual.  At the same time, we will vigorously defend this litigation to protect our people and our reputation, as well as any artist who might directly or indirectly become a frivolous litigation target for having done nothing more than write a song.”

PEOPLE reached out to Drake’s legal team — led by attorney Michael J. Gottlieb — for a comment, but did not receive an immediate response.

In November, Drake previously accused Universal Music Group of launching a “campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves” with Lamar’s song in a complaint filed in a Manhattan court by Drake’s Frozen Moments LLC.

The rapper claimed the record label wanted “to make that song go viral, including by using “bots” and pay-to-play agreements,” per court docs obtained by PEOPLE at the time.

UMG told PEOPLE in response: “The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue. We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns.”

They added: “No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.”

Drake’s attorney filed a petition to withdraw the above legal action on Tuesday, as the rapper moves forward with his federal suit.