Entertainment
UMG Hits Back at Drake’s ‘Astonishing’ Claims in Updated Suit Over Kendrick’s Super Bowl Show
Universal Music Group wants a federal judge to dismiss Drake’s updated defamation lawsuit that complained about Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance of “Not Like Us,” arguing he’s just upset about a “rap artist who defeated him.”
Weeks after Drake filed an amended version of his case that claimed the halftime show was intended to “assassinate the character of another artist,” UMG fired back Wednesday – arguing that the new claims about the Super Bowl are as legally faulty as the rest of the case.
“Drake’s new allegations are astonishing,” the music giant’s lawyer Rollin Ransom writes. “As Drake concedes, Lamar’s Super Bowl performance did not include the lyric that Drake or his associates are ‘certified pedophiles’ (i.e., the alleged ‘Defamatory Material’ that is at the heart of this case).”
“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,” Ransom added.
Lamar released “Not Like Us” last May amid a high-profile beef with Drake that saw the two UMG stars release a series of bruising diss tracks. The song, a knockout punch that blasted Drake as a “certified pedophile” over an infectious beat, became a chart-topping hit in its own right and won five Grammy Awards, including record and song of the year.
In January, Drake took the unusual step of suing UMG over the song, claiming his own label had defamed him by boosting the track’s popularity. The lawsuit, which doesn’t name Lamar himself as a defendant, alleges that UMG “waged a campaign” against its own artist to spread a “malicious narrative” about pedophilia that it knew to be false.
UMG believes the case is clearly meritless – that “hyperbolic insults” and “vitriolic allegations” are par for the course in diss tracks and cannot form the basis for a libel lawsuit. The company has pointedly noted that Drake himself was happy to make such attacks, including accusing Lamar of domestic abuse, until he lost the battle.
During the halftime show, which took place weeks after Drake filed his case, Lamar omitted the word “pedophile.” But after much speculation over whether he’d play the song at all, Kendrick really didn’t hold back otherwise – making it the centerpiece of the set and clearly rapping similar lyrics, including: “Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young.”
In his amended complaint last month, Drake’s attorneys argued that the decision to censor the word “pedophile” during the broadcast failed to avoid the song’s defamatory meaning – and instead had underscored the rapper’s legal case against UMG.
“Kendrick Lamar would not have been permitted to perform during the Super Bowl Performance unless the word ‘pedophile’… was omitted from the lyrics — that is because nearly everyone understands that it is defamatory to falsely brand someone a ‘certified pedophile’,” wrote Drake’s attorney Michael Gottlieb.
But in Wednesday’s motion to dismiss the case, UMG argued that Drake’s censorship argument was logically flawed.
“Drake contends that the decision not to include the word ‘pedophiles’ … could only reflect that the language is defamatory,” UMG’s lawyers write. “But this ignores any number of other explanations for the decision — such as threats by Drake of additional meritless litigation.”
Wednesday’s motion also highlighted that Drake had “removed obviously false factual allegations” from his original complaint, including that UMG directly paid for bots to boost streams of Kendrick’s track: “Drake is now reduced to citing a different podcast host who claimed that ‘Kendrick used bots’ [and] a now-deleted anonymous X comment accusing Lamar of ‘buying promo.'”
Drake’s lawyers will have a chance to respond to the motion to dismiss in the weeks ahead, and the judge will issue a ruling at some point in the next few months.
In a statement to Billboard on Thursday, a spokesman for UMG underscored the arguments in the motion to dismiss: “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. Nor do they mention that it was Drake who started this particular exchange.”
In the same statement, UMG said Drake’s lawyers were chasing “wild conspiracies” about “why one song that upset Drake had massive global appeal,” when in reality the company was “working tirelessly” to promote all of its artists.
“Our continuing partnership with Drake and his enduring success is a shining example,” the company said in the statement. “Despite his lawyers’ attempts to silence other artists and threaten the companies that work with them, we remain committed to propelling Drake’s career while maintaining our unwavering support of all our artists’ creative expression. Drake’s included.”
Justin Bieber is soaking up some quality time with his 11-month-old son, Jack Blues.
On Saturday (Aug. 9), the 31-year-old pop superstar shared a series of heartwarming selfies on social media, showing sweet moments with Jack Blues, who will celebrate his first birthday on Aug. 22.
In the Instagram carousel, Bieber posted three photos featuring the father-son duo, with Jack’s face intentionally kept out of view. In the first snapshot, the “Dadz Love” singer gazes into the camera while his son’s tiny feet peek into the frame. The next two images capture tender moments, with Bieber lovingly kissing the back of his Jack Blues’ head.
Last month, Bieber — who shares Jack Blues with his wife, Hailey Bieber — also gave fans a peek at their little one during a visit to the recording studio, where he was likely working on his latest album, Swag. The project dropped on July 11 and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.
Jack Blues and Hailey also appear in the music video for Justin’s new song “Yukon,” released on Aug. 5. The black-and-white visual, directed by Cole Bennett, shows the Bieber family basking in the sun aboard a sleek yacht resembling the logo of Justin’s new apparel brand Skylrk. The video captures tender moments as the couple cuddles their son and kisses his tiny toes while creating an adorable family portrait.
“We shot this a couple weeks back over the course of a few days in Spain & Italy. Shot on FX3 & GoPro, printed on 16mm film. I’ll remember these memories for the rest of my life. Thank you for everything,” Bennett wrote on Instagram, tagging both Justin and Hailey.
“Yukon” marks Jack Blues’ official music video debut, while Hailey has previously made appearances in several of her husband’s visuals, including DJ Khaled and Drake’s “Popstar,” Dan + Shay and Bieber’s “10,000 Hours,” and Ariana Grande and Bieber’s “Stuck with U.”
Check out Bieber’s adorable father-son selfies on Instagram here.
Bunnie XO is getting candid about the emotional and physical toll of her IVF journey with husband Jelly Roll.
In a new episode of her Dumb Blonde podcast, the 45-year-old host (real name Alyssa DeFord) addressed why she hasn’t been seen publicly with her 40-year-old country star husband in recent months.
“Somebody said the other day, they’re like, ‘They used to always be together. Now you never see them together,'” Bunnie said, referencing herself and the “Save Me” singer (per People). “I’m like, do you guys not know for the past six months I’ve been trying to make a baby? Like, my husband has to work to f—k bring home the bacon.”
She continued, “Luckily, I have the luxury of being able to work at from home. So he doesn’t. He has to make appearances. But I literally have been on IVF meds for f—king six months and going through heartbreak and f—king so much s—t.”
Despite the challenges, Bunnie made a rare public appearance at SummerSlam 2025 in early August, where she supported Jelly Roll during his WWE in-ring debut against Logan Paul.
Bunnie — who is stepmom to Jelly’s children, daughter Bailee Ann, 16, and son Noah Buddy, 7 — has been open with fans about her IVF experience, frequently sharing updates on her podcast and social media. In late July, she posted a vulnerable TikTok reflecting on the first half of 2025.
“I’ve had to miss a lot of fun things, my body has been thru the ringer & honestly I’m exhausted mentally & physically,” she wrote alongside a photo of herself cuddling her pet cow. “But, I can feel the light shifting. I’m finally coming out of the cocoon & trusting that God’s timing is never wrong.”
Earlier this summer, Bunnie revealed that she and Jelly had received a major update in their IVF journey.
“When you just got the call you’ve been waiting on for 5 months since this ivf journey started,” she shared in an emotional Instagram post. “All the tears, the hopelessness & the struggle, God finally said, ‘Here.’”
She later clarified in the comments, “This is not a pregnancy announcement – we won’t announce that,” she wrote. “This is just a huge win for us.”
In March, Bunnie also opened up about how isolating the IVF process can feel. “It’s just you and these hormones and the waiting and the egg retrieval … It’s a lot to bear,” she said on her podcast.
Entertainment
Cole Swindell and Wife Courtney Welcome Their First Child Together: ‘Our Greatest Blessing’
Congratulations are in order for Cole Swindell and his wife, Courtney Little Swindell, who have welcomed their first child.
The country music star and former NBA dancer became parents to a baby girl, Rainey Gail Swindell, on Thursday (Aug. 7). The couple shared the joyful news the following day through a joint Instagram post featuring a heartwarming photo of their newborn dressed in a white onesie.
“Rainey Gail Swindell 🤍 8.7.25 our greatest blessing,” they captioned the post.
The baby’s name is a tribute to her father, whose middle name is Rainey.
After the birth, Courtney shared a tender photo on her Instagram Story of Cole smiling down at their newborn daughter as he gently held her.
“This is why who you marry matters,” she wrote in text over the picture. “Best dad already to our girl. Couldn’t ask for a more supportive partner! We are very lucky girls.”
The Swindells first announced they were expecting back in early March with an Instagram carousel that included a sweet shot of the couple standing behind a clothesline adorned with a baby onesie, close-up images of sonograms, and joyful moments celebrating the news.
“Baby Swindell 2025,” they captioned the post, alongside a heart emoji.
Cole and Courtney tied the knot in June 2024 during a romantic ceremony in Sonoma, Calif. Earlier this year, the ACM Award winner released a special remixed, digital-only version of his top 10 Billboard Country Airplay hit, “Forever to Me,” retitled “Forever to Me (Our Version).” The accompanying music video features touching footage from their wedding day.
Check out Cole and Courtney’s sweet baby announcement on Instagram here.
Justin Bieber Shares Sweet Father-Son Moment With 11-Month-Old Son Jack Blues
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Here’s Why Bunnie XO Has Stayed Out of the Spotlight With Jelly Roll Amid IVF Journey
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