Drake Claims Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl Performance Shows 'Not Like Us' Was Defamatory

Drake has escalated his legal battle against Universal Music Group (UMG), filing an amended complaint that cites Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX halftime show as further evidence of defamation.

The updated lawsuit, submitted Wednesday (April 16), claims the high-profile performance of their diss track “Not Like Us”—which reached millions of previously unexposed viewers—was leveraged to tarnish Drake’s reputation. The filing asserts that Kendrick’s decision to censor the word “pedophile” during the broadcast, along with the track’s inclusion in his Grammy-winning set, demonstrates UMG’s alleged complicity in amplifying the song’s damaging allegations.

It further contends that the halftime show marked an “unprecedented” use of the platform to “assassinate the character of another artist.” Notably, Drake’s legal team has walked back earlier claims that UMG directly employed bots to inflate the song’s streams—a theory initially based on unverified testimony from a social media livestream.

The revised complaint instead accuses the label of failing to curb suspected third-party manipulation, stating UMG “turned a blind eye” to artificial streaming activity. In response, UMG dismissed the amended lawsuit as “frivolous” and accused Drake’s counsel of retreating from prior allegations to avoid sanctions.

The label also pointed to the recent dismissal of a related Texas filing as evidence of the case’s lack of merit. Legal experts suggest the dispute may hinge on discovery, with UMG warning that Drake himself could face scrutiny if the case proceeds. The escalating conflict underscores the high stakes of one of music’s most contentious label disputes in recent years.

Source: Hiphopdx
Image: Pulitzer Prizes 2018 award ceremony - Kendrick Lamar 2010 by Fuzheado is licensed under CC BY 4.0

Drake performing on July 16, 2010 at the Cisco Ottowa Bluesfest by Brennan Schnell is licensed under CC BY 2.0