\n<\/p>\n
The long-simmering tension between Drake and Lamar, who had collaborated early in their careers, exploded into full-on musical beef last spring across eight rapidly released songs that included escalating personal attacks.<\/p>\n
On one track, \u201cFamily Matters,\u201d Drake questioned whether Lamar\u2019s manager had secretly fathered one of his children and alleged that Lamar had \u201cbeat on\u201d his romantic partner and covered it up. Soon after, on \u201cMeet the Grahams,\u201d Lamar equated Drake with Harvey Weinstein, calling him a \u201cpervert\u201d and a \u201csick man\u201d who \u201cshould die\u201d to make the world safer for women.<\/p>\n
The following day, Lamar released \u201cNot Like Us,\u201d which includes lyrics like \u201csay, Drake, I hear you like \u2019em young,\u201d calling the rapper and his crew \u201ccertified pedophiles\u201d who should \u201cbe registered and placed on neighborhood watch.\u201d<\/p>\n
The track \u2014 which, according to Drake\u2019s lawsuit, \u201ccloaks cleverly dangerous lyrics behind a catchy beat and inviting hook\u201d \u2014 went on to top the Billboard singles chart and has since been streamed more than one billion times on Spotify alone. At the Grammy Awards next month, \u201cNot Like Us\u201d is nominated for five awards, including record and song of the year. The following week, Lamar will headline<\/a> the Super Bowl halftime show in New Orleans.<\/p>\n \u201cThis lawsuit is not <\/em>about the artist who created \u2018Not Like Us,\u2019\u201d the suit says. \u201cIt is, instead, entirely about UMG, the music company that decided to publish, promote, exploit, and monetize allegations that it understood were not only false, but dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n To prove defamation, a public figure must not only show that false information was published, broadcast or spoken, harming their reputation, but that the publisher did so while knowing that the information was false or with substantial doubts about its accuracy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n