Drake’s legal team says he has “nothing to hide” amidst UMG lawsuit
Drake’s legal team has issued a new statement after the rapper amended his complaint against Universal Music Group (UMG) last week.
On Wednesday, April 16, Drake updated his 107-page complaint against the music giant – which alleges that the label “approved, published and launched a campaign” to create a viral hit out of Kendrick Lamar’s Drake-aimed diss track ‘Not Like Us’ – to include further defamation claims.
The complaint, filed in New York, also alleges that UMG attempted to convey the “specific, unmistakable, and false factual allegation that Drake is a criminal pedophile.”
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A new, updated complaint filed last week includes allegations that the NFL’s decision to censor the phrase “certified pedophile” during Kendrick’s Super Bowl Halftime show in February further affirmed that the track is defamatory.
Drake’s team claimed that the performance was an attempt to “assassinate” Drake’s character. UMG have since responded to the amended complaint, calling it “frivolous and reckless”.
In a follow-up response to the label’s statement shared with Mixmag, Drake’s team claimed: “UMG’s latest statement is a desperate attempt to spin the narrative and deflect from the truth: Drake is holding the largest music conglomerate in the world accountable for its actions and doing so without fear.”
Read this next: Drake accuses UMG and Spotify of “illegally inflating” Kendrick Lamar diss track ‘Not Like Us’
Discovery proceedings are due to go ahead amidst the ongoing legal battle, which Drake’s team are welcoming, urging that the rapper has “nothing to hide”.
“Drake welcomes discovery,” they said. “It’s not Drake who should worry; it’s UMG’s current leadership. UMG said, ‘be careful what you ask for,’ Drake knows exactly what he asked for: the truth and accountability.”
Gemma Ross is Mixmag’s Associate Digital Editor, follow her on Twitter
