iHeartMedia, based in Texas, recently announced that it settled a legal dispute with Drake over Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us,” after proving it did nothing wrong.
Back in November, Drake filed a legal petition claiming that iHeartMedia took illegal payments from Universal Music Group (UMG) to give extra radio play to Lamar’s song. UMG is the parent company for both Drake and Lamar.
Initially, iHeartMedia, which is headquartered in San Antonio, didn’t comment on the settlement. But they updated their statement on March 1, following the court documents that revealed the resolution.
According to a filing in Bexar County, Texas (where San Antonio is located), Drake’s legal team said that both the rapper and iHeartMedia had come to an “amicable resolution,” but no other details were shared. A scheduled hearing for March 24 will address UMG’s motion to dismiss Drake’s petition, which was originally set for March 5.
Drake’s legal filing in Texas also claims UMG was aware that the song, along with its album cover and music video, made false accusations about him being a sex offender—attacking his character.
Aside from the Texas case, Drake also filed a defamation lawsuit in January in New York, accusing UMG of spreading false claims about him being a pedophile, which are mentioned in “Not Like Us.” Kendrick Lamar is not named in that lawsuit.
In another development, a judge in the defamation case recently rejected UMG’s request to delay a pretrial hearing and pause the exchange of evidence between the two sides. UMG had wanted to push things back until a judge could hear its request to dismiss the case.
Drake’s legal team expressed satisfaction with the ruling, stating that it’s a clear sign UMG can’t avoid or bury the truth.
UMG’s lawyers haven’t responded to requests for comment.
The back-and-forth between Drake, the 38-year-old Canadian rapper, and Lamar, the 37-year-old Pulitzer Prize-winning artist, has become one of the biggest feuds in hip-hop in recent years.
