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By Jonathan Stempel
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Drake's longtime label Universal Music Group on Monday sought a dismissal of his defamation lawsuit over its promotion of Kendrick Lamar's Grammy-winning single "Not Like Us," the biggest hit of a barrage of diss tracks between the two rappers.
In a filing in Manhattan federal court, UMG said the lyrics to "Not Like Us," which according to Drake brand him a pedophile, are merely "rhetorical hyperbole" and opinion safeguarded by the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment.
It also accused Drake of hypocrisy for having signed a June 2022 petition that criticized prosecutors using artists' works against them in criminal cases, and declared such works the product of artists' "vision and imagination" -- only to now brand Lamar's lyrics as literal fact.
"Drake was right then and is wrong now," UMG said. "Diss tracks are a popular and celebrated artform centered around outrageous insults, and they would be severely chilled if Drake's suit were permitted to proceed."
Lamar mentioned Drake by name in "Not Like Us," whose lyrics say "Drake, I hear you like 'em young" and call him and others "certified pedophiles."
The song was released last May 4, one day after Drake's "Family Matters" appeared to accuse Lamar of physical abuse and infidelity and questioned the parentage of one of his children.
In his January 15 complaint, Drake, whose given name is Aubrey Drake Graham, said "Not Like Us" threatened his safety, led to attempted home break-ins, and forced the Canadian rapper to pull his seven-year-old son from school and the Toronto area.
The lawsuit seeks damages for defamation and harassment.
Michael Gottlieb, a lawyer for Drake, called UMG's dismissal request a "desperate ploy" to avoid accountability.
"We have every confidence that this case will proceed and continue to uncover UMG's long history of endangering and abusing its artists," Gottlieb said in a statement.
Drake and Lamar, an American who won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, have feuded for about a decade.
"Not Like Us" won Grammy Awards in February for record and song of the year. It spent two weeks atop Billboard's Hot 100 in 2024, and another week at No. 1 after Lamar performed it at last month's Super Bowl halftime show.
UMG called Drake's lawsuit "no more than Drake's attempt to save face for his unsuccessful rap battle with Lamar." Many commentators and fans also viewed Lamar as the winner.
The case is Graham v UMG Recordings Inc, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 25-00399.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
