Drake expands lawsuit against Universal Music Group, alleging defamation at Super Bowl

Drake has expanded his lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) over Kendrick Lamar’s diss track Not Like Us, alleging that he was defamed by Lamar’s half–time performance at the 2025 Super Bowl.

With lyrics including “Say Drake, I hear you like ’em young … certified lover boy? Certified paedophile,” Lamar’s track was one of a number of diss tracks issued by the rappers against each other in spring 2024. Not Like Us became the most commercially successful, reaching No 1 in the US and UK, and it also won Lamar five Grammy awards including record and song of the year.

In January Drake sued UMG, the label that he and Lamar share, over the song, alleging UMG “approved, published and launched a campaign to create a viral hit out of a rap track” that was “intended to convey the specific, unmistakable, and false factual allegation that Drake is a criminal paedophile, and to suggest that the public should resort to vigilante justice in response”. UMG argued the case was “utterly without merit” and called for it to be dismissed.

Drake’s legal team have now amended the lawsuit with new allegations, claiming that the Super Bowl performance, which was the most-watched half-time show ever, “further solidified the public’s belief in the truth of the allegations against Drake … Not only did streams of the recording increase significantly following these two mega-cultural events, but threats against Drake and his family did as well.”

Lamar omitted the words “certified paedophile” from the performance, but included the “I hear you like ’em young” line, delivered while staring into the camera in a moment that was widely shared on social media. The omission was made, the lawsuit claims, because “everyone understands that it is defamatory to falsely brand someone a ‘certified paedophile’”. Lamar is not being sued by Drake, only UMG.

UMG responded to the amendments by saying: “Drake, unquestionably one of the world’s most accomplished artists and with whom we’ve enjoyed a 16-year successful relationship, is being misled by his legal representatives into taking one absurd legal step after another.”

Drake secured a small victory in the ongoing case earlier this month, when a judge allowed his team to access certain UMG documents as they built their case, a process known as “discovery” which UMG had attempted to block.

Alongside their statement about the amendments, UMG addressed that decision, saying: “Drake will personally be subject to discovery as well. As the old saying goes, ‘be careful what you wish for’.”

Drake’s team then responded in kind, saying: “Drake knows exactly what he asked for: the truth and accountability.”

Elsewhere at the Super Bowl show, Serena Williams – who reportedly once dated Drake – danced on stage to Not Like Us, an appearance which was perceived by some viewers as mocking Drake. Asked by Time magazine this week whether that was the case, Williams said: “Absolutely not. I would never do that. And that was sad, that anyone would ever think that. I respect how they could … But absolutely not. I have never had negative feelings towards him. We’ve known him for so many years.”

Drake and Lamar are also currently locked in another battle, for the top of the US singles chart. Lamar’s track Luther, featuring SZA, has been at No 1 for eight weeks, but Drake’s track Nokia has returned to the No 2 spot this week.