Drake takes legal action over Not Like Us as Kendrick Lamar feud heats back up

Drake (r.) has reignited his feud with Kendrick Lamar as he threatens legal action against Universal Music Group over Kendrick's hit diss track Not Like Us.  © Collage: IMAGO / Starface & Screenshot/Instagram/@champagnepapi

The stars' beef took over the music world earlier this year, with the pair exchanging a number of scathing diss tracks.

Kendrick's Not Like Us – in which he accused the Canadian musician of pedophilia – ultimately became the long-lasting hit of the battle.

But Drake is now claiming that the track isn't as popular as it seems and has filed a pre-action petition against Universal Music Group for "artificially inflating" the song's numbers.

The petition, which was filed Monday, specifically accuses UMG of "licensing the song at drastically reduced rates to Spotify and using 'bots' to generate the false impression that the song was more popular than it was in reality."

UMG swiftly denied the allegations in a statement to Variety, calling them "offensive and untrue."

Notably, the label is responsible for the distribution of both Drake and Kendrick's music.

Drake's legal move hasn't exactly won him any favor with fans, most of whom have taken to social media to share a flood of delightfully shady memes aimed at the rapper.

Kendrick Lamar surprised fans with a new album, GNX, on Friday.  © Yuki IWAMURA / AFP

"Drake suing Universal because Not Like Us was so popular instead of suing Kendrick for defamation for being PUBLICLY CALLED A PEDOPHILE is the funniest choice of all time," one fan wrote on X.

"This is a great year to be a drake hater…I've dreamt of times like these," another said.

The Hotline Bling artist's frustration isn't exactly surprising, as his apparent loss in the feud has been followed by five new Grammy nominations for Kendrick – all for Not Like Us.

Kendrick is also expected to perform the track on the country's biggest stage as the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show headliner.