Drake SUES Over ‘Pedophile’ Diss in Kendrick Lamar Track – Explosive 3-Week Trial Looms!
The Canadian superstar is heading to trial over Kendrick Lamar's single that accuses him of being a "pedophile."
Drake is bracing for a high-stakes trial against Universal Music Group following the drop of Kendrick Lamar's Grammy-winning diss track.
In legal documents acquired by Lawyer Monthly on Wednesday, April 9, the defense for the 38-year-old Canadian rapper asserts that "settlement discussions have not occurred."
The filing indicates that the case is set to be heard by a jury and is projected to last approximately three weeks in New York. The dispute originated when Lamar, 37, released the track “Not Like Us” in May 2024, amid a public rivalry between the two artists. In his single, Lamar labels Drake a “certified pedophile” who ought to be “placed on neighborhood watch.”
Additionally, Lamar showcased the song during the Super Bowl halftime show in February 2025.
Kendrick Lamar in the press room for the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards
While the term “pedophile” was excluded from his televised performance, Lamar grinned at the camera as he delivered the line, “Say, Drake, I hear you like ‘em young.” This year's Super Bowl attracted an estimated 127.7 million viewers, marking it as the largest audience in television history, according to Nielsen research.
In an earlier filing obtained by Lawyer Monthly, Drake’s legal team contested UMG’s assertion that Lamar’s lyrics were merely his opinion, arguing that “UMG entirely overlooks the Complaint’s allegations that millions of individuals worldwide interpreted [the song] as a factual claim that [Drake] is a pedophile.”
The filing asserted that UMG audaciously persisted in publishing and promoting the [song] despite the fact that [Drake] had experienced an attack on his home by a gunman, had his businesses vandalized, had informed UMG of the inaccuracies of the allegations (along with the damage they were inflicting), and was aware that UMG recognized the public's perception of the allegations as factual statements.
On March 31, Drake unveiled a new music video for his single "Nokia," prompting fans to speculate about how the "Hotline Bling" artist appeared to be responding to the California native. One fan noted the striking resemblance between the black-and-white aesthetic of Drake's "Nokia" video and the filter utilized in Lamar’s "Not Like Us." "Drake has to be trolling Kendrick for sure. The handshake, the owls, the bird's-eye view, the dances, the choreography," another fan commented. In the midst of the ongoing rivalry, UMG had previously stated that Drake "lost a rap battle that he instigated" and "sued his own record label in a misguided effort to heal his wounds."
Opinion | When a Diss Isn’t Just a Diss
This trial isn’t just rap beef—it’s reputation on the line. Drake’s lawsuit over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” asks a hard question: can a lyric go too far? His lawyers say yes, especially when fans took the line about being a “certified pedophile” as fact, not fiction. If the court sides with him, it could change how far artists can push their punches—and whether labels get to hide behind the beat.
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