Drake has filed an amended grievance in his defamation lawsuit in opposition to Common Music Group, alleging that Kendrick Lamar’s Tremendous Bowl Halftime present in February “assassinated” his character, and that the efficiency and the Grammy wins for “Not Like Us” “launched new listeners to the Recording, inflicting much more folks to be duped into believing that Drake was a pedophile.”
Within the amended grievance, filed Wednesday night time and reviewed by The Hollywood Reporter, Drake alleged that the Tremendous Bowl efficiency — and Lamar omitting the phrase “pedophile” throughout “Not Like Us” — affirmed his declare that the tune’s lyrics have been defamatory. (Whereas Lamar didn’t say the phrase pedophile, he did nonetheless carry out equally suggestive lyrics, like the road stating that “I hear you want ‘em younger.”)
“No different modifications have been made,” Drake’s swimsuit stated. “On info and perception, Kendrick Lamar wouldn’t have been permitted to carry out in the course of the Tremendous Bowl Efficiency until the phrase “pedophile” (within the phrase “licensed pedophiles”) was omitted from the lyrics—that’s as a result of practically everybody understands that it’s defamatory to falsely model somebody a “licensed pedophile.”
The grievance pointed to reported figures labeling the efficiency the most-viewed halftime present of all time (over 133 million folks throughout all viewing platforms), stating the efficiency launched “Not Like Us” to “hundreds of thousands extra who had by no means earlier than heard the tune or any of the songs that preceded it.”
“It was the primary, and can hopefully be the final, Tremendous Bowl halftime present orchestrated to assassinate the character of one other artist,” the grievance stated.
Drake’s amended grievance comes three months after the rapper first sued UMG — each his and Lamar’s file firm — again in January, alleging that “UMG deliberately sought to show Drake right into a pariah, a goal for harassment, or worse” and “did so not as a result of it believes any of those false claims to be true, however as an alternative as a result of it could revenue from damaging Drake’s repute.”
UMG denied the allegations, motioning to dismiss the claims. On Wednesday night time, the corporate issued a prolonged assertion, calling his lawsuit “baseless” and warning that the swimsuit’s implications stifle creative inventive expression.
“Drake, unquestionably one of many world’s most achieved artists and with whom we’ve loved a 16-year profitable relationship, is being misled by his authorized representatives into taking one absurd authorized step after one other,” UMG stated.
Within the firm’s assertion, UMG additionally referenced a discovery movement from two weeks in the past through which Drake was granted an allowance to ask for paperwork reminiscent of Lamar’s contract. The corporate famous that Drake is “topic to discovery as nicely,” warning to “watch out what you want for.”
“Each the Texas and New York proceedings are an affront to all artists and inventive expression,” UMG stated. “Ought to his authorized representatives senselessly preserve the New York lawsuit alive, we’ll exhibit that every one remaining claims are with out advantage. It’s shameful that these silly and frivolous authorized theatrics proceed. They’re reputationally and financially expensive to Drake and haven’t any likelihood of success.”
