Drake has filed a second legal action against Universal Music Group (UMG) over Kendrick Lamar’s song Not Like Us, alleging defamation and accusing the music giant of releasing a track that falsely portrays him as a “certified pedophile” and “predator.” In a petition filed on Monday in Texas, Drake’s legal team claims UMG knowingly allowed the song to be released despite its defamatory content, thereby damaging his reputation and business interests. According to the filing, UMG had the ability to prevent or modify the release but chose instead to proceed with the distribution, driven by the potential to capitalise on the resulting controversy.

This filing follows a similar complaint made in New York, where Drake accused UMG of manipulating Spotify’s platform to artificially inflate the song’s streaming numbers. The Texas petition also claims that UMG engaged in a “pay-to-play” scheme, allegedly making payments to iHeartRadio to ensure the song received significant radio airplay. Drake’s legal team argues that UMG’s actions were part of a deliberate strategy to use the controversy surrounding the song to generate financial gain at the expense of Drake’s reputation.

Although the petition is a pre-action filing rather than a formal lawsuit, Drake’s attorneys state they have sufficient evidence to pursue defamation claims, with the possibility of adding civil fraud and racketeering charges based on future depositions. UMG has denied the allegations, asserting that their marketing practices are ethical and that the claims made in the filing are “offensive and untrue.”