What role did Kai Cenat play in Drake and Kendrick Lamar's beef? History explored as rapper names streamer in UMG lawsuit

Recently, Drake filed a lawsuit against UMG (Universal Music Group), naming Kai Cenat in his filing.

For those unaware, Cenat and Drizzy have had conversations in the past, and the former was also a small part of the latter's feud with Kendrick Lamar. The rapper name-dropped Kai Cenat in the "Push Ups," a diss track aimed at K-Dot. In the second verse of the track, Drake is heard saying,

"Beggin' Kai Cenat, boy, you not f**kin' beatin' us"

6 God supposedly took a shot at Lamar by implying that the latter was trying to collaborate with Cenat for a stream. Ahead of the song's release, Cenat even reacted to its leaked version and was visibly pumped on hearing his name being dropped. The YouTuber also avoided naming any artist and instead claimed that only the labels were "begging."

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Kai Cenat consistently followed the Kendrick-Drake feud

Cenat once again found himself in the middle of the beef when Drake texted him during a stream on May 3, 2024. The YouTuber showed the text from the Canadian rapper, which read:

"Stay on stream 😈"

Shortly after the text, Drizzy dropped another diss on Lamar titled "Family Matters," to which Kai reacted on stream. He was seen vibing to the track throughout while seemingly being impressed by the bars. In the track, Drake threw allegations of domestic abuse and unfaithfulness on Lamar.

Coincidently, K-Dot also dropped his response through "Meet the Grahams" on the same day of the stream. The release happened within an hour after Drake dropped "Family Matters."

"Meet the Grahams" addressed Drizzy's family members while making severe allegations against the Canadian rapper. In the track, Kendrick accused Drake of being a s**ual predator, an absent father, and having links to s*x offenders. Reacting to the track, Cenat was left shocked after reacting to the track. The streamer even said,

"If this is facts, Kendrick has won. Gang… This back and forth is crazy bro. I’m not even gonna lie, I don’t even blame Cole no more. I don't blame Cole. Drake, you need to drop or press whatever red button that is."

Cenat, who was seemingly on Drake's side before "Meet the Grahams," was left speechless on stream. A day after releasing "Meet the Grahams," Lamar dropped "Not Like Us," which effectively concluded the beef for many, as the majority of watchers declared K-Dot the winner. Kai Cenat also weighed in his response as he continued to showcase his surprise at Lamar's allegations and lyrics.

After reacting to "Not Like Us," Kai Cenat said,

"I've been playing this whole series Unbiased.. as much as possible bro. Truthfully, me telling the truth bro, K-Dot is sliding right now. He's wildin... I don't know ... He's wildin Gang. Imma keep it a whole stack with you.. he's bugging bro" - Kai Cenat stated during his stream

"Not Like Us" is famously considered the end of the Drake-Kendrick feud, as after it, Lamar didn't drop any diss. Drake did address the allegations in "The Heart Part 6," but the beef ultimately died down. However, the song became the center of another controversy, as it became the subject of Drizzy's lawsuit against UMG.

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Drake referenced Kai Cenat's "Not Like Us" reaction in his lawsuit against UMG

In his lawsuit against UMG, Drake accused the label of helping promote "Not Like Us." In the 81-page document, the “God’s Plan" artist also alleged that Universal Media Group "whitelisted” Lamar's song, which allowed many content creators to react without fearing the copyright restrictions. The filing mentions,

"UMG made sure that "Not Like Us" broke through that noise. For one, UMG took the unprecedented step—contrary to its internal practices—to remove the Recording's copyright restrictions on YouTube and Twitch, thereby "whitelisting” the Recording to ensure content creators would republish it broadly."

The lawsuit refutes the allegations against Drake as false and accuses UMG of promoting the song, which ultimately resulted in the singer getting defamed. The 81-page document highlights Kai Cenat, Zias!, and RDC Gaming reacting to "Not Like Us." In his suit, Drake's side argues,

"These content creators could not have legally republished the Defamatory Material in full or profited from their reaction videos without UMG first whitelisting the Recording."

Apart from the reactions of the content creators, the suit also mentions the attack on Drake's Toronto house that happened on May 7 and injured one of the rapper's guards. In his filing, the rapper has alleged that the attack occurred due to the defamation caused by false allegations against him.

According to NBC News, a UMG representative refuted the rapper's claims and called them "illogical." The UMG rep was quoted saying,

"We have invested massively in his [Drake’s] music and our employees around the world have worked tirelessly for many years to help him achieve historic commercial and personal financial success."

It should be noted that the suit mentions UMG as the sole defendant. The case is neither against Kai Cenat nor Kendrick Lamar, the original creator of "Not Like Us."