UMG Seeks to Silence Drake Suit While Lamar Leads BET Celebrations

Drake is involved in a $100 million defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar's diss track "Not Like Us," with the label arguing the suit is a "meritless" attempt to "save face" after Drake lost their rap battle, a legal conflict that comes as Lamar leads nominations for the upcoming BET Awards, where Drake also received multiple nods.

Universal Music Group on Wednesday urged a federal judge to throw out Drake’s defamation lawsuit, accusing the rapper of mounting a “meritless” bid to salve his wounded pride after a public rap battle with Kendrick Lamar.

In a motion filed May 7 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, UMG called Drake’s amended complaint “astonishing,” arguing that his focus on a single censored lyric from Lamar’s hit “Not Like Us” only underscores the true target: Lamar’s commercial and creative success.

Drake first sued UMG in January, claiming the label and its distribution of Lamar’s incendiary track had defamed him. In April he amended the suit to cite Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX halftime performance on Feb. 9, 2025, contending that Lamar’s decision to omit a critical verse before a record TV audience proved the song’s reputation‑damaging power. Drake’s complaint asserts that the broadcast‑censoring “allowed millions to miss the precise words at issue and unjustly vilified my client.”

UMG counters that Drake “was pleased to use UMG’s platform to promote tracks leveling similarly incendiary attacks at Lamar. But now, after losing the rap battle, Drake claims that ‘Not Like Us’ is defamatory. It is not.” The label is asking that the amended complaint be dismissed with prejudice.

“Drake’s attack on the commercial and creative success of the artist who soundly bested him is the real grievance here,” UMG wrote, calling the lawsuit a thinly veiled attempt to weaponize the courts against artistic competition.

Lamar’s “Not Like Us” did nothing to hurt his momentum. The track swept all five of its Grammy nominations on Feb. 2, 2025, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year. This month, Lamar leads the field at the 2025 BET Awards with 10 nominations. 

The ceremony is set to air live on Monday, June 9, from the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles. His nominations include major nods for Album of the Year for “GNX,” Video of the Year and Viewer's Choice for “Not Like Us,” Best Male Hip‑Hop Artist, and multiple Best Collaboration nominations. He bids to extend his run against competitors that include Drake, who earned six nods of his own, including Album of the Year for "$ome $exy $ongs 4 U," Video of the Year for "Family Matters," and Best Male Hip Hop Artist.

Top Nominees at the 2025 BET Awards: (Click here for the full list of nominees) 
Kendrick Lamar: 10 nominations
Doechii: 6 nominations
Drake: 6 nominations
Future: 6 nominations
GloRilla: 6 nominations
Metro Boomin: 5 nominations
SZA: 4 nominations
The Weeknd: 4 nominations