Drake ‘Lost A Rap Battle,’ UMG Argues In Motion to Dismiss Suit

The authorized battle between Drake and Common Music Group (UMG) has taken one other flip, with the label looking for to dismiss the rapper’s lawsuit.

The dispute facilities round UMG’s function in selling Kendrick Lamar’s diss observe “Not Like Us,” which Drake claims led to dangerous penalties.

Nevertheless, UMG is pushing again, arguing that Drake’s claims are unfounded. The movement, filed earlier on Monday, challenged the legitimacy of Drake’s case, stating that it’s merely an try and recuperate from a public defeat reasonably than a real authorized grievance.

In its filing, Common Music Group didn’t maintain again in criticizing Drake’s authorized transfer.

The label asserted that Drake “misplaced a rap battle that he provoked and wherein he willingly participated,” arguing that as a substitute of accepting the result, he resorted to authorized measures to “salve his wounds.”

Moreover, UMG accused Drake of contradicting his personal stance on inventive freedom, stating that he had beforehand signed a petition condemning using rap lyrics in authorized proceedings.

“Drake was proper then and is mistaken now,” the movement said, reinforcing their declare that the lawsuit lacks benefit.

In his lawsuit, Drake alleged that UMG’s involvement in selling “Not Like Us” constituted defamation and harassment.

Nevertheless, UMG argued that there isn’t a authorized foundation for these claims, stating that the track expresses “nonactionable opinion and rhetorical hyperbole, not truth.”

The corporate additionally highlighted a perceived double commonplace, noting that whereas Drake expects assist for his personal diss tracks, he objects to an identical promotion of Lamar’s response.

The label insisted that their actions have been inside authorized and moral boundaries and that Drake’s claims failed to satisfy the required standards to proceed in court docket.

Regardless of UMG’s try and dismiss the case, Drake’s authorized workforce stays agency of their stance.

The rapper’s legal professional, Michael J. Gottlieb, asserted that the lawsuit is about greater than only a rap battle.

Gottlieb advised Variety, “UMG needs to fake that that is a couple of rap battle to be able to distract its shareholders, artists, and the general public from a easy reality: a grasping firm is lastly being held liable for making the most of harmful misinformation that has already resulted in a number of acts of violence.”

He additionally urged that UMG has a historical past of exploiting artists and that the case will reveal deeper systemic points throughout the music trade.

Gottlieb mentioned, “This movement is a determined ploy by UMG to keep away from accountability, however we now have each confidence that this case will proceed and proceed to uncover UMG’s lengthy historical past of endangering, abusing and making the most of its artists.”

The lawsuit, submitted in a New York federal court docket, got here after he withdrew a authorized problem accusing UMG and Spotify of artificially inflating the track’s recognition. UMG dismissed the claims as “illogical.”

The lawsuit alleged that UMG prioritized “company greed over the protection and wellbeing of its artists” by distributing “Not Like Us,” which labeled Drake a “licensed pedophile.”

It claimed that UMG deliberately promoted the observe to unfold “false factual allegations” and incite hurt towards Drake.

The go well with additionally highlighted the track’s paintings, which featured a picture of Drake’s home marked equally to the houses of registered intercourse offenders.

Drake’s authorized workforce argued that UMG knowingly revealed and profited from false claims, holding the label liable for the track’s influence.

“This lawsuit isn’t concerning the artist who created “Not Like Us,” the submitting said. “It’s, as a substitute, solely about UMG, the music firm that determined to publish, promote, exploit, and monetize allegations that it understood weren’t solely false, however harmful.”

Nevertheless, UMG strongly denied the accusations, insisting that they had considerably contributed to Drake’s success.

“Not solely are these claims unfaithful, however the notion that we’d search to hurt the repute of any artist – not to mention Drake – is illogical,” a spokesperson said per the Guardian.

In addition they accused the “One Dance” crooner of “weaponizing the authorized course of to silence an artist’s inventive expression” regardless of having benefited from the identical trade practices all through his profession.