He did consider it, though. In November, Drake filed a petition—a precursor to a potential suit—alleging that the radio conglomerate had taken illegal payments from Universal Music Group, the label notably shared by both rappers, in a “scheme” to boost the airtime and popularity of “Not Like Us.” In other words, a mean song about him blew up, and he didn’t like it.
He might have gotten some money out of it, though. A court document filed on Thursday stated that both parties had “reached an amicable resolution of the dispute” and would not be moving forward with legal action, per Billboard. “We are pleased that the parties were able to reach a settlement satisfactory to both sides, and have no further comment on this matter,” Drake’s legal team added in a statement to The A.V. Club. That’s probably a good thing, as the rapper seems incapable of opening his mouth without digging a deeper hole for himself.
All that being said, the war isn’t over. Drake’s claims against UMG are still active and could lead to a suit of their own. In addition to the pay-to-play claims, the rapper alleged that his and Lamar’s label knew that the song “falsely accus[ed] him of being a sex offender” and decided to release it anyway. “The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue,” the company wrote in a statement at the time. “No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.”
It’s not saying much considering the year he’s had, but the past week has been particularly rough for the rapper. Last Wednesday, Drake announced he was postponing the remaining dates of his Australia-New Zealand “Anita Max Win” tour. Then, last night, Oscar host Conan O’Brien sent a stray his way in front of Hollywood’s best and brightest, quipping, “We’re halfway through the show, which means it’s time for Kendrick Lamar to come out and call Drake a pedophile.” He followed the joke up by promising that he was “lawyered up,” but if Drake is settling his suits before they even start, the host would probably be fine either way.
