Drake Takes Universal Music Group to Court: Rapper Fights Back Against Defamation Claims.

Drake's lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) has taken a dramatic turn. The rapper is suing UMG over Kendrick Lamar's diss track "Not Like Us," claiming the label artificially boosted the song to spread a "malicious narrative" that he's a "certified pedophile" 

UMG has fired back, filing a motion to dismiss the lawsuit and calling it a "misguided attempt to salve his wounds" after losing a rap battle [1][3][4]. The label argues that Drake's claims are "utterly without merit" and that the song's lyrics are protected as "rhetorical hyperbole" or opinion [3).

Drake's attorney, Michael Gottlieb, has responded, calling UMG's motion a "desperate ploy to avoid accountability" [1][4]. Gottlieb alleges that UMG is trying to distract from its own wrongdoing and that the lawsuit will proceed to uncover the label's "long history of endangering and abusing its artists" [1][4).

The case is ongoing, with a pre-trial hearing scheduled for April 2 [1].