The Canadian rapper says he had to pull his son out of school over 'Safety Concerns' in UMG lawsuit.
The OVO founder accused Universal Music Group of damaging his reputation by promoting Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” diss song
Drake reveals “safety concerns” led to him pulling his son out of school after last May’s release of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” which is now at the center of a full-fledged defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG).
In his lawsuit against UMG, He claimed that the “Not Like Us,” it's alleged that Drake fears for the "safety and security" of his son Adonis.
The 80-page lawsuit was filed in a New York federal court. Drake notably claimed that “After the attacks on his home, Drake pulled his 7-year-old son Adonis Graham out of the elementary school he attended in Toronto due to safety concerns shortly after ‘Not Like Us” was released.
The lawsuit detailed that Drake experienced multiple incidents at his residence that month, including one in which “an armed group of assailants” drove up and opened fire, ultimately injuring a security guard. “Blood was everywhere,” the docs state, adding that it took “nearly 30 minutes” for an ambulance to arrive at the scene.
This was followed by two more alleged incidents in quick succession, all occurring after the release of “Not Like Us.” In one instance, it’s alleged that an unidentified intruder “used his bare hands” to dig a hole under a security fence at Drake’s residence, thus allowing him to secure entry onto the property. Finally, on May 9, five days after the Mustard-produced “Not Like Us” was released, “another break-in attempt” is alleged to have taken place.
“In the two decades leading up to May of 2024, although Drake was constantly in the public eye, nothing remotely like these events had ever happened to him or his family,” the docs state, adding that these incidents “were not coincidental.” Instead, Drake alleges that they were brought on by UMG’s actions, with the music company argued to have “enriched itself and its shareholders” off Drake’s catalog before opting for “corporate greed over the safety and wellbeing of its artists” with the campaign behind Kendrick’s hit diss track.
Here's a breakdown of Drake's claims and the allegations against UMG.
The Allegations:
Drake's lawsuit claims "Not Like Us" was released "to convey the specific, unmistakable, and false factual allegation that Drake is a criminal
pedophile, and to suggest that the public should resort to vigilante justice in response."
The shooting that took place outside his home on May 7, 2024, three days after the release of "Not Like Us," was a direct reaction to the song. As a result of the shooting, Drake decided to pull his son out of school in Toronto and later arranged for the child and Drake's mother to leave the city.
UMG propped up "Not Like Us" for financial gain for its executives. The move was also done to maximize Kendrick Lamar's sales and devalue Drake in order to "gain leverage to force Drake to sign a new deal on terrms more favorable to UMG."
UMG removed copyright restrictions for "Not Like Us" on YouTube and Twitch, allowing third parties to spread the song to large audiences. Kai Cenat, NoLifeShaq, RDC Gaming, Zias and CartierFamily are named in the suit as streamers who took full advantage of the lifted restrictions.
Drake confronted UMG about its role in promoting false pedophile accusations—"which resulted in violent threats, reputational, financial damage and more"— but they continued to republish and promote the song, despite knowing the allegations. were baseless.
UMG CEO Lucian Grainge played a key role in the initial publication of the "Not Like Us" video either in directing or approving the publication and/or failing to prevent its publication.
UMG used its ownership interest in VEVO to disproportionately boost the visibility of the "Not Like Us" video.
UMG also granted licenses for the "Not Like Us" to be played at sporting events, award shows and political rallies.
UMG used third parties and bots to artificially inflate "Not Like Us."
UMG offered undisclosed financial incentives to promote "Not Like Us."
These deceptions ultimately did harm to Drake's reputation and financial status.
In response, a UMG spokesperson said: “Not only are these claims untrue, but the notion that we would seek to harm the reputation of any artist — let alone Drake — is illogical. 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.
“Throughout his career, Drake has intentionally and successfully used UMG to distribute his music and poetry to engage in conventionally outrageous back-and-forth ‘rap battles’ to express his feelings about other artists. 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.
“We have not and do not engage in defamation — against any individual,” the statement concludes. “At the same time, we will vigorously defend this litigation to protect our people and our reputation, as well as any artist who might directly or indirectly become a frivolous litigation target for having done nothing more that write a song.”