Why exactly is Drake filing a lawsuit against Kendrick Lamar in...Texas?

Rapper, songwriter, and icon Drake attends a game between the Houston Rockets and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Toyota Center Rapper, songwriter, and icon Drake attends a game between the Houston Rockets and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Toyota Center Carmen Mandato/Getty Images The Drake-Kendrick Lamar feud has taken a new turn. The summer was dominated by a particularly vicious rap beef between the two colossal rappers, but it looks like the conflict is far from over as a new potential legal battle threatens to keep the bad vibes going. 0:04 / 1:00 Drake ultimately came up short in many rounds of this feud, and he’s now upping the ante by taking his rap nemesis to court. In addition to his petition to the New York Supreme Court, Drake surprisingly filed another petition against Lamar and Universal Music Group in Bexar County, Texas, leaving many in the Lone Star State wondering what the Toronto rapper has up his sleeve. In a surprising court filing in the New York Supreme Court last week, Drake alleged that Universal Music Group artificially inflated the popularity of Lamar's smash hit "Not Like Us," better known as the exclamation point in Lamar's overwhelming victory in their ongoing beef. The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100 for multiple weeks, but Drake claims that its success wasn’t organic; he alleges that UMG deliberately pushed the record to cause him financial and professional harm, as his reputation was very clearly affected by the song's messaging. Advertisement Article continues below this ad On Monday, Drake filed a second petition in Bexar County, Texas, sparking the curiosity of residents in and around the area about his intentions. The Texas suit isn’t as random as it might appear. Drake is an official Texas resident—as of May 2024, he’s the proud owner of a sprawling $15 million ranch in Brenham, Texas (Washington County), just an hour outside of Houston. So technically, he’s filing a separate grievance using his privileges as a Texan. Drake has also had deep ties to Texas, specifically to the Bayou City, since the beginning of his career; his love for the city and the state even led him to officially become a Texan, complete with a Texas ID. IHeartMedia, the parent company of IHeartRadio, is based in San Antonio, giving more validity to the Texas filing. The new petition aims to determine whether UMG participated in a pay-per-click scheme to promote "Not Like Us" with iHeartRadio, which, according to Drake and his legal team, is the country's top audio company. The petition also accuses iHeartMedia and UMG of intentionally harming Drake's reputation. Drake claims that UMG authorized Lamar's song "Not Like Us" to be released even though they knew the song's lyrics, album art, and music video disparaged Drake's character. The viral hit notoriously alleges, among other things, that Drake is a sex offender and has committed other criminal sexual acts—claims which the filing argues are false. The song's artwork also insinuates that Drake is harboring sex offenders in his Canadian compound. Currently, Lamar is still reaping the benefits of being crowned the victor in the rap beef of the summer. The feud and the subsequent hit records it spawned secured the Compton native a headline gig at the upcoming Super Bowl LIX halftime show in New Orleans. Lamar later released a surprise album, GNX, on November 22, and the new project has been dominating the charts. Lamar also announced this week that he plans to embark on a 19-city North American stadium tour with TDE labelmate SZA next year (set to make a stop at Houston's NRG stadium). Advertisement Article continues below this ad It’s disappointing to many hip hop fans that this rap beef has been brought to the courts. Drake may have been better suited just chilling on his enormous Texas ranch and cooking up some serious new music in the studio if he wanted the world to move on from the clash—what he’s doing instead is cementing it as one of the most monumental moments in rap history. He’s already lost in the court of public opinion, but filing in a more conservative court system like Texas may garner more sympathy for Drake. Unfortunately, the success of the suit itself still seems like a longshot. More Culture Community | 'The American story': Why Texas Latinos are converting to Islam Delivery | Trump chooses Whataburger over his favorite fast food while in Texas Lineup | RodeoHouston releases concert sneak peek for 2025 Accolade | Houston is one of the most sinful places in America For the latest and best from Chron, sign up for our daily newsletter here.