Universal Music Group (UMG) is turning up the heat in its legal standoff with Drake, issuing a stark warning after the rapper amended his defamation lawsuit to include claims surrounding Kendrick Lamar’s record-breaking Super Bowl halftime performance.

The major powerhouse label had recently released an official new statement pertaining to the hip-hop chart-topper’s lawsuit, suggesting that Drake’s latest legal maneuver could backfire as the discovery process unfolds.

Earlier last week (April 16), Drake had filed an amended 107-page complaint in Manhattan federal court, expanding his defamation case to allege that the NFL’s decision to censor the phrase “certified pedophile” from Lamar’s “Not Like Us” performance effectively reinforced the defamatory nature of the song, rather than softening it.

“It was the first, and will hopefully be the last, Super Bowl halftime show orchestrated to assassinate the character of another artist,” Drake’s legal team argued in the filing, which points to the NFL and Fox’s handling of the broadcast.

UMG, which has worked with Drake for 16 years, slammed the revised complaint as “frivolous and reckless,” accusing the artist’s legal team of misleading him into escalating a baseless case. The label emphasized that discovery cuts both ways: “Two weeks ago, his representatives celebrated a ‘win’: the granting of a routine discovery motion. That ‘win’ will become a loss if this frivolous and reckless lawsuit is not dropped in its entirety because Drake will personally be subject to discovery as well.”

The music giant also highlighted a pattern of withdrawn legal claims, noting that a similar suit filed in Texas last November was “quietly dropped” earlier this week. Additionally, the amended New York complaint no longer includes allegations that Interscope paid a whistleblower via third parties to boost Spotify streams with bots — claims UMG says were removed to avoid potential court sanctions. Instead, Drake’s revised complaint now accuses the label of “turning a blind eye” to suspected bot activity around “Not Like Us.”

“At minimum, UMG was aware that third parties were using bots to stream the recording and turned a blind eye, despite having the power to stop such behavior,” the amended suit reads.

UMG pushed back hard: “Should his legal representatives senselessly keep the New York lawsuit alive, we will demonstrate that all remaining claims are without merit. It is shameful that these foolish and frivolous legal theatrics continue. They are reputationally and financially costly to Drake and have no chance of success.”

The company has until May 7 to respond with a motion to dismiss the updated complaint — a date that also marks one year since the alleged attack outside Drake’s Toronto home, which the lawsuit links to the release of “Not Like Us” and ensuing fan backlash. On the other hand, Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show, which drew a record 133.5 million viewers according to Billboard, remains at the center of a legal and cultural firestorm — one that shows no signs of cooling as the potential for discovery looms.

Read Universal Music Group’s full official statement below:

“Drake, unquestionably one of the world’s most accomplished artists and with whom we’ve enjoyed a 16-year successful relationship, is being misled by his legal representatives into taking one absurd legal step after another.

In Texas last November, his counsel instituted a legal proceeding with much fanfare and bluster. On Monday, they quietly dropped the case.

In New York in January, Drake’s counsel filed a defamation lawsuit. Fearful of being sanctioned by the court for asserting false allegations, tonight they amended the complaint to withdraw them only to add more baseless allegations.

Two weeks ago, his representatives celebrated a ‘win’: the granting of a routine discovery motion. That ‘win’ will become a loss if this frivolous and reckless lawsuit is not dropped in its entirety because Drake will personally be subject to discovery as well. As the old saying goes, ‘be careful what you wish for.’

Both the Texas and New York proceedings are an affront to all artists and creative expression. Should his legal representatives senselessly keep the New York lawsuit alive, we will demonstrate that all remaining claims are without merit. It is shameful that these foolish and frivolous legal theatrics continue. They are reputationally and financially costly to Drake and have no chance of success.”