Plaqueboymax explains why his reaction to Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us was demonetized amid Drake's UMG lawsuit

Kendrick Lamar and Aubrey Drake Graham’s ongoing feud appears to have extended its boundaries, as streamers and YouTubers have become a part of it. For context, the Canadian rapper recently filed a federal lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) on January 15, 2025, for releasing and widely promoting Lamar’s "Not Like Us" in 2024.

Graham had previously accused UMG of boosting Kendrick Lamar’s track artificially, using bots and other means. Including this in the recent lawsuit, the rapper claimed that the music company gave financial incentives to third parties to boost streams and promote the song. The lawsuit also accused the label of lifting copyright restrictions, allowing content creators to use the song in their videos freely.

The rapper allegedly mentioned the names of some content creators in the lawsuit, accusing them of promoting Kendrick Lamar’s track. Online streamer Plaqueboymax has commented on why he was not monetized from "Not Like Us" during an online stream. He was asked whether he had been named in Graham’s lawsuit or not, to which he replied:

“Ni**a, I don’t know. Drake not going to sue me. I mean sh*t maybe, I don’t know. Ni**a, all I know is my reaction to his sh*t, my reaction to the Kendrick sh*t did not get monetised. My sh*t did not get monetized. They took my sh*t down cause I was hating on Kendrick.”

As seen in the video by FearBuck on X, Plaqueboymax appeared surprised after his statement as he asked whether he was called out, too.

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Drake’s lawsuit against UMG does not involve Kendrick Lamar

The lawsuit alleges UMG promoted a defamatory song for profit, undermining his reputation and leveraging contract negotiations. The "Family Matters" singer denies targeting Lamar and aims to hold the music company accountable for promoting harmful falsehoods.

The suit also mentions safety concerns for Drake and his family, alongside financial and emotional harm. According to a copy of the lawsuit released by Courthouse News,

“This lawsuit involves no claims against Kendrick Lamar or any other artist; instead, it is about UMG—the publisher and exclusive rights holder of Lamar’s music, as well as Drake’s—and its malicious decision to publish and promote, through covert means, false allegations about Drake that UMG knew were false, explosive, inflammatory, and certain to result in both vitriol and substantial harm to Drake’s reputation.”

The lawsuit mentions certain almost life-threatening incidents that happened with Graham following the release of Kendrick Lamar’s track. There were three intruder incidents at his home, including a break-in attempt and a shooting that injured his security guard. The legal filing links these incidents to the music company's actions, claiming the label's pursuit of profit had dangerous real-world consequences.

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UMG reportedly denied the allegations from Graham, calling them baseless and illogical. The label claimed to have invested in his career, helping him succeed and accused him of using legal tactics to silence creative expression.

For the record, the Canadian rapper is signed to Republic Records and Kendrick Lamar to Interscope Records, both operating under the music company.