In a bold legal response, Universal Music Group (UMG), Drake’s long-time record label, has filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit the rapper filed against them in New York.

The lawsuit stems from the promotion of Kendrick Lamar’s track “Not Like Us,” in which Lamar mentions Drake and makes serious accusations.

UMG’s motion, filed today, is sharply critical of Drake’s case, suggesting that the rapper is only pursuing legal action due to the emotional impact of “losing a rap battle” with Lamar.

The motion, reviewed by Variety, presents a harsh critique of Drake’s lawsuit, asserting, “He lost a rap battle that he provoked and in which he willingly participated. Instead of accepting the loss like the unbothered rap artist he often claims to be, he has sued his own record label in a misguided attempt to salve his wounds. Plaintiff’s Complaint is utterly without merit and should be dismissed with prejudice.”

UMG argues that the lyrics in Lamar’s “Not Like Us” — which refer to Drake with the lines “Say Drake, I hear you like ’em young” and call him and others “certified pedophiles” (a reference to Drake’s 2021 studio album Certified Loverboy)— are a form of “rhetorical hyperbole” and are protected under the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment, as they are a form of artistic expression rather than literal facts.

The lawsuit, filed by Drake in January, claims that the track was part of a campaign that falsely accused him of being a pedophile. He argues that the song, which was released on May 4, 2023, one day after his own track “Family Matters” took aim at Lamar, put his safety at risk and led to harassment.

Drake asserts that the allegations in “Not Like Us” caused attempted break-ins at his home and forced him to pull his seven-year-old son out of school in Toronto.

In his complaint, Drake, whose full name is Aubrey Drake Graham, seeks damages for defamation and harassment.

UMG also took aim at Drake’s past stance on artistic expression, pointing out the hypocrisy in his actions. “Drake was right then and is wrong now,” UMG said, referencing a petition Drake had signed in June 2022 criticizing the use of artists’ work against them in criminal cases.

“Diss tracks are a popular and celebrated artform centered around outrageous insults, and they would be severely chilled if Drake’s suit were permitted to proceed.”

As the case unfolds, it remains to be seen how the courts will navigate these complex issues of freedom of speech, defamation, and the limits of artistic license.