Universal Music Group, rappers Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s label, has filed a seething motion to dismiss Drake’s lawsuit against it after the label promoted his rival Lamar’s “Not Like Us” diss track, Varietyreports. UMG didn’t seem to pull any punches against its client, saying the “One Dance” star was suing his own label for revenge because he “lost a rap battle” against Lamar that Drake initiated. UMG added that the 38-year-old only took legal action to “salve his wounds.” The motion, filed Monday, pushes for the suit to be dismissed, condemning Drake’s actions after he lost to Lamar: “Instead of accepting the loss like the unbothered rap artist he often claims to be, he has sued his own record label in a misguided attempt to salve his wounds. Plaintiff’s Complaint is utterly without merit and should be dismissed with prejudice.” It notes that another reason the defamation suit should be dismissed is because Drake himself signed a public petition less than three years ago criticizing “the trend of prosecutors using artists’ creative expression against them” when misjudging rap lyrics as fact. “Drake was right then and is wrong now,” the motion read. “Complaint’s unjustified claims against UMG are no more than Drake’s attempt to save face for his unsuccessful rap battle with Lamar.” Meanwhile, Drake’s lead attorney Michael Gottlieb slammed UMG in a statement to the Daily Beast. “UMG wants to pretend that this is about a rap battle in order to distract its shareholders, artists and the public from a simple truth: a greedy company is finally being held responsible for profiting from dangerous misinformation that has already resulted in multiple acts of violence,” he said.
