Universal Music Slams Drake’s ‘Illogical’ Lawsuit Over Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’

variety.com:

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Universal Music Group has posted a fiery response to Drake’s lawsuit around Kendrick Lamar’s brutal diss track, “Not Like Us,” in which he accuses the company — his label for more than a decade — of defamation.

Early Wednesday, Drake sued the company for defamation and harassment, claiming it spreading the “false and malicious narrative” that he is a pedophile via Kendrick Lamar’s track, “Not Like Us.” In response, a UMG spokesperson said: “Not only are these claims untrue, but the notion that we would seek to harm the reputation of any artist — let alone Drake — is illogical.

We have invested massively in his music and our employees around the world have worked tirelessly for many years to help him achieve historic commercial and personal financial success. “Throughout his career, Drake has intentionally and successfully used UMG to distribute his music and poetry to engage in conventionally outrageous back-and-forth ‘rap battles’ to express his feelings about other artists.

He now seeks to weaponize the legal process to silence an artist’s creative expression and to seek damages from UMG for distributing that artist’s music. “We have not and do not engage in defamation — against any individual,” the statement concludes. “At the same time, we will vigorously defend this litigation to protect our people and our reputation, as well as any artist who might directly or indirectly become a frivolous litigation target for having done nothing more that write a song.” In the documents, Drake claims that UMG knew that Lamar’s lyrics and images in the song’s music video, were false and dangerous, and that it “chose corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists.