By Alyssa Lukpat

The rapper Drake sued Universal Music Group for defamation, arguing the label profited from Kendrick Lamar's diss track "Not Like Us," in which Lamar calls Drake a pedophile.

Drake's federal lawsuit, filed in New York's southern district Wednesday, accused Universal of stoking a widely publicized rap beef between him and Lamar that would turn Lamar's song into a megahit. Drake said the song encouraged violence against him and threatened his safety. Lamar, who wrote and performed the song, wasn't named as a defendant in the suit.

Universal "intentionally sought to turn Drake into a pariah, a target for harassment, or worse," the lawsuit alleged. "Drake is not a pedophile."

A dramatic spat between the superstar artists spilled out into the open last year with a series of dueling tracks. Over several songs, Lamar accused Drake of committing sex crimes and compared him to disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein. Drake alleged Lamar had physically abused his fiancée.

Many fans crowned Lamar the winner because his track "Not Like Us" was the most commercially successful song of the beef. The track is nominated for multiple Grammy Awards, including song of the year.

Drake in his lawsuit accused Universal, the world's largest music company, of promoting Lamar over him because it owns and profits from Lamar's back catalog. The suit also said Universal negotiated for Lamar to play "Not Like Us" at the Super Bowl next month.

Drake's lawyers said Universal wanted to devalue Drake's music to get more favorable terms when they renegotiate Drake's contract this year. Drake's label, Republic Records, and Lamar's, Interscope Records, are both owned by Universal.

"UMG has used its massive resources as the world's most powerful music company to elevate a dangerous and inflammatory message that was designed to assassinate Drake's character, and led to actual violence at Drake's doorstep," Drake's lawyers said in a statement Wednesday.

Representatives for Lamar and Universal didn't immediately return requests for comment Wednesday.

Drake, whose legal name is Aubrey Drake Graham, has argued that Universal promoted "Not Like Us" using deceptive business practices such as bots that could inflate streaming numbers. He previously filed a petition related to the song's streaming numbers against Universal and Spotify, which has a licensing agreement with Universal. The New York-filed petition was withdrawn on Tuesday. Spotify didn't immediately return a request for comment.

The lawsuit wasn't about Lamar but was about Universal's decision to wage a defamatory campaign against Drake, Drake's lawyers said in the lawsuit.

"It understood that the Recording's inflammatory and shocking allegations were a gold mine," the lawsuit said, referring to the song recording.

Drake blamed Universal for threats against him. His lawsuit said shortly after the beef exploded in May last year, at least one gunman opened fire at Drake's Toronto home and wounded his security guard. Over the next few days, there were two break-in attempts at his home, according to the suit.

"In all the years he has been a celebrity, nothing like the events of early May has ever happened to Drake before," the lawsuit said, adding that he pulled his son out of school over fears for his safety.

Drake has had nearly unparalleled commercial success in the streaming era with crossover appeal. Lamar, the only rapper to win the Pulitzer Prize, is known for releasing songs with biting social commentary.

--Neil Shah contributed to this article.

Write to Alyssa Lukpat at alyssa.lukpat@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 15, 2025 15:46 ET (20:46 GMT)

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