'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wAARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQH/8QAHhAAAgICAgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQMAAgQFBhEHMXL/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/8QAGBEBAQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIAE3H/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AIU+S9hyDTOx90uuTTKelVKACgoLBgPr5EyXI3LEvYsWaBSxqACOh0YiGyNOeV5nu//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Drake and Kendrick Lamar's beef may have started in 2024, but the feud is still going on today. The rivalry between the two rappers started with diss tracks, each artist releasing one song after another. It escalated when Kendrick Lamar released Not Like Us on May 4, 2025, calling Drake a "certified p**oph*le." Drake took matters to a legal level on November 25, 2024, by filing a case in the New York court.
Drake accused Universal Music Group (UMG) back in November of paying streaming companies and radio stations, including iHeartMedia, to play Lamar's song Not Like Us to defame him. Fast forward to 2025, Drake has come to an
"amicable resolution of the dispute to the satisfaction of both sides" says a court filing that was submitted to Bexar County on Thursday.
A spokesperson from iHeartMedia spoke to USA Today to clarify about the case. They said,
"In exchange for documents that showed iHeart did nothing wrong, Drake agreed to drop his petition. No payments were made by either one of us." iHeartMedia explained.
On Drake's side, his lawyers have also sent a statement to USA Today saying,
"pleased that the parties were able to reach a settlement satisfactory to both sides, and have no further comment on this matter."
More details into Drake's legal battle with Universal Music Group (UMG)
Drake has signed with Universal Music Group for the rest of his music career. However, things took a turn between the two when legal drama between Drake and UMG started on November 24, 2024. Drake did not immediately file a lawsuit against UMG but submitted a pre-action filing.
In this filing, Drake accused UMG of promoting Not Like Us, using different means and tactics to
"deceive consumers into believing the song was more popular than it was in reality" the filing stated.
Drake and his lawyers believed that UMG is doing this to maximize their gain as a company. In his petition, Drake mentioned the fact that UMG
"knew that the song itself, as well as its accompanying album art and music video, attacked the character of another one of UMG’s most prominent artists, Drake, by falsely accusing him of being a sex offender, engaging in pedophilic acts, harboring sex offenders, and committing other criminal sexual acts".
The God's Plan singer also revealed that he had tried to solve this issue without bringing legal backup, but UMG has refused to acknowledge his effort. After Drake's filing, UMG responded by saying,
"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. 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." - a UMG spokesperson said.
A day later, on November 26, 2024, Drake filed a second petition. In the second filing, Drake's legal team addressed the issue that UMG is defaming him by releasing Lamar's song, which contained serious accusations. In this filing, iHeartMedia was also dragged into the legal battle. Drake's legal team said that iHeartMedia was involved in a "pay-to-play" plan with UMG.
Drake's legal team added,
"UMG … could have refused to release or distribute the song or required the offending material to be edited and/or removed... Before it approved the release of the song, UMG knew that the song itself, as well as its accompanying album art and music video, attacked the character of another one of UMG’s most prominent artists".
By December, Spotify was also dragged into the legal case. But Spotify's legal team claimed that Drake's accusations were "false," "far-fetched," and "speculative."
On January 14, 2025, Drake decided to drop his original filing that Spotify and iHeartMedia were conspiring with UMG to defame and ruin his public image. Fans thought the legal drama was finally coming to an end.
However, the next day, on January 15, 2025, Drake filed a defamation lawsuit against UMG for promoting Not Like Us, despite knowing the content of its lyrics.
Drake's lawyers wrote in a complaint that was sent to the Manhattan federal court,
"UMG intentionally sought to turn Drake into a pariah, a target for harassment, or worse... UMG did so not because it believes any of these false claims to be true, but instead because it would profit from damaging Drake’s reputation" - the complaint from Drake's legal team stated.
UMG responded to Drake's complaint the same day. The company states,
"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." - UMG fires back.
The company continued,
“...Drake has intentionally and successfully used UMG to distribute his music and poetry... 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.”
Trending
Drake and Kendrick Lamar are both signed to Universal Music Group. One of the most recent promotions of Lamar's song was in February, which includes Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl performance. The latest development in this legal battle includes a letter sent to the judge on February 21, 2025.
UMG's lawyers claimed that Drake's attorneys have agreed to remove some allegations. But Drake's team clarified that they agreed to deal with just "one" factual allegation.
Your perspective matters!
Start the conversation
