The Hotline Bling rapper sued UMG bosses for defamation in January for promoting Not Like Us, in which he is accused of being a paedophile.
In an amended complaint in April, Drake focused on events that had taken place since the initial filing, and claimed that UMG further damaged his reputation by allowing Lamar to perform Not Like Us at the Super Bowl and consenting to the song being played at the 2025 Grammys.
In their motion to dismiss on Wednesday, UMG lawyers called Drake's new allegations "astonishing" and pointed out that Lamar did not use the phrase "certified paedophile" during his Super Bowl performance.
"The focus of Drake's new claims - that 'the largest audience for a Super Bowl halftime show ever' did not hear Lamar call Drake or his crew pedophiles - betrays this case for what it is: Drake's attack on the commercial and creative success of the rap artist who defeated him, rather than the content of Lamar's lyrics," their motion reads, reports Variety.
In a statement to the publication, a UMG spokesperson argued that it was Drake who started the exchange of diss tracks with Lamar last year.
"Nowhere in the hundred-plus page 'legal' blather written by Drake's lawyers do they bother to acknowledge that Drake himself has written and performed massively successful songs containing equally provocative taunts against other artists," they stated. "Apparently, Drake's lawyers believe that when Drake willingly participates in a performative rap-battle of music and poetry, he can be 'defamed' even though he engages in the exact same form of creative expression."
Both musicians are signed to record labels owned by UMG.
Dave Mustaine has chosen to bring Megadeth to an end after completing one final tour due to ongoing health challenges.
The band plans to step away next year once they wrap up their farewell run and release their final album. Frontman Dave, 64, has now shared that he reached this decision because arthritis and issues with his back have left him “unable to give a hundred per cent every night”.
Speaking on SiriusXM's Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk, Dave said, “It had been building up for a long time, just physical things happening with my hands … My hands were starting to fail me.
“And there were other difficulties tied to everything going on with my neck and my trunk. That whole area has arthritis and some bulging discs.
“I have a fractured lumbar bone. And of course, my back has been fused near my shoulders and neck. There is just a lot going on …
“I always said that when the time came where I could no longer give a hundred per cent each night, that would be the moment I would start thinking about slowing down.”
He continued by sharing that the choice became clear after the band completed recording their final self-titled project.
Dave explained, “It was not that I couldn’t give a hundred per cent, because we finished the album and I feel we did well with it, but while we were working I had a moment where I told my manager … ‘I am not sure how much longer I can continue. My hands are really hurting.’
“I did not intend to set things in motion. I was just talking, but it led to conversations with the band, then taking time to reflect, speaking with my family, and praying about it.
“And the answer was obvious to me that by the time the album was finished, I would know how it would perform. If it does really well, I can still deliver one final strong tour.
“And the idea of a farewell feels connected to that. We have certain shows we want to play so we can say goodbye to the people who have supported us.”
Dave added, “We are an American band, but we perform all over the world. We are not weekend performers like some country acts in the States. We have a lot of ground to cover if we want to say goodbye the right way.”
The band’s seventeenth studio album, Megadeth, will arrive in January, and their This Was Our Life tour begins in Canada in February.
