Kai Cenat reacts to being named in Drake’s UMG lawsuit: “Why am I in this shit?”

Kai Cenat has reacted to Drake name-checking him in his most recent lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG).

• READ MORE: Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s feud: the full timeline

Last spring, Drake and Kendrick Lamar went back and forth in a historic rap feud. Across various diss tracks aimed at one another, the duo send scathing shots at one another. The most successful song from the battle was Lamar’s fourth Number One single ‘Not Like Us’, where he called Drake a “certified paedophile”.

On January 15, the Canadian rap superstar filed an 81-page lawsuit against UMG for releasing and promoting ‘Not Like Us’, despite its lyrics containing “false and defamatory accusations of paedophilia.” Lamar was not included in the lawsuit, despite writing the song.

In the the filing, Drake accused UMG of “whitelisting” reaction videos by high-profile content creators like Twitch streamer Kai Cenat, allowing them to monetise their responses to the diss track without enforcing copyright claims.

According to the lawsuit, this strategy enabled the track’s damaging claims to gain traction online, driving both its virality and UMG’s profits. The rapper also claimed the music conglomerate directly paid influencers to amplify the song’s reach on social media platforms such as Instagram and X/Twitter.

Drake alleges in the lawsuit that UMG permitted content creators such as Kai Cenat, Zias, NoLifeShaq, RDC Gaming, and CartierFamily to monetize reactions to “Not Like Us” without enforcing copyright claims. He claims this lack of enforcement enabled the spread of defamatory… pic.twitter.com/FZzip1QrTf

— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) January 15, 2025

During a recent livestream, Cenat went through the lawsuit and was surprised to see his name mentioned in the case. “Why am I in this shit? Wait, hold on? What the fuck? Am I being sued?” he said to his chat, thinking that Drake was suing him too. The 23-year-old quickly reminded his audience that the rapper told him to “stay on stream” last May in hopes he would review ‘Family Matters’ – Drake’s third diss track aimed at Lamar.

A viewer then explained to Cenat that he wasn’t being sued but alleged to have been paid by UMG to react to ‘Not Like Us’ – to which he responded: “I won’t lie, I wasn’t even complaining. All my shit’s monetised.”

Kai Cenat addresses the rumors surrounding Drake’s lawsuit, stating that UMG never paid him for reacting to Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” despite being named alongside several other streamers in the case.
pic.twitter.com/YLBuB3vjop

— No Jumper (@nojumper) January 17, 2025

The new lawsuit came shortly after Drake dropped the lawsuit he filed against UMG last November, which claimed they “artificially-inflated” the streams for ‘Not Like Us’.

Drake also alleged he “fears for the safety and security of himself, his family, and his friends,” citing the shooting of his security guard outside his home and the multiple trespassing attempts that followed after ‘Not Like Us’ was released.

In addition, he repeated claims that the music giant artificially-boosted the popularity of ‘Not Like Us’ through streaming bots and payola, in hopes of “devaluing Drake’s music and brand in order to gain leverage” in renegotiating his contract.

A UMG spokesperson shared a statement, stating that Drake’s claims “untrue” and “illogical”, adding that he “has intentionally and successfully used UMG” before to engage in “rap battles” and now “seeks to weaponise the legal process”.

Lamar hasn’t commented on any of the lawsuits Drake has filed surrounding the release and success of ‘Not Like Us’.

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