Drake’s feud with Kendrick Lamar has officially spilled out of the recording studio and into the courtroom — and somehow, Eminem got pulled into it, too.

In a dramatic gesture, Drake has filed a federal lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG), accusing the label of promoting Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us” — and things are getting messy. While the song is burning the charts and racking up Grammy nominations, Drake is not feeling the love, claiming the track spreads “false and malicious” rumours about him.

The Canadian rapper argues UMG put profits over principles, even paying YouTube reactors to boost Kendrick’s track, which accuses Drake of being a “certified pedophile” and takes shots at his collaborations with Atlanta rappers. Drake says this is not just bad for him — it is bad for the music business, too.

And here is where it gets awkward: Eminem’s name is also in the mix. The lawsuit points to a viral video where Spotify’s search engine allegedly suggested “Not Like Us” when someone typed “Eminem”. Drake’s lawyers claim this is evidence of foul play. Fans online, however, have pointed out that similar boosts showed up for Drake’s response track, “Family Matters”, suggesting UMG may have been hyping both sides of the beef to keep the drama sizzling.

 

UMG, for its part, denies any wrongdoing. A spokesperson said, “We’ve spent years helping Drake achieve massive success — why would we turn around and harm one of our own top artists? It just doesn’t add up”.

As for Eminem, he is an innocent bystander in this least hip hop activity you can imagine — awkwardly name-dropped in a defamation lawsuit from an artist who lost in a beef. And over a feud that does not even involve him.

Drake and Kendrick’s beef has taken on a life of its own, with both rappers trading bars in a high-stakes battle. But instead of settling this feud with fiery verses and chart-topping hits, Drake’s decision to take things to court feels more like a plot twist than a mic drop.