9:54 AM PT — A spokesperson for Common Music Group tells TMZ … “Drake, unquestionably one of many world’s most achieved artists and with whom we’ve loved at 16-year profitable relationship, is being misled by his authorized representatives into taking one absurd authorized step after one other. In Texas final November, his counsel instituted a authorized continuing with a lot fanfare and bluster. On Monday, they quietly dropped the case.”

They continued … “In New York in January, Drake’s counsel filed a defamation lawsuit. Petrified of being sanctioned by the court docket for asserting false allegations, tonight they amended the criticism to withdraw them solely so as to add extra baseless allegations. Two weeks in the past, his representatives celebrated a ‘win’: the granting of a routine discovery movement. That ‘win’ will turn out to be a loss if this frivolous and reckless lawsuit will not be dropped in its entirety as a result of Drake will personally be topic to discovery as properly. Because the previous saying goes, ‘watch out what you would like for.’

They concluded … “Each the Texas and New York proceedings are an affront to all artists and inventive expression. Ought to his authorized representatives senselessly preserve the New York lawsuit alive, we’ll display that every one remaining claims are with out advantage. It’s shameful that these silly and frivolous authorized theatrics proceed. They’re reputationally and financially pricey to Drake and don’t have any probability of success.”

Drake says he has new ammo in his defamation lawsuit in opposition to Common Music Group … and it is all due to Kendrick Lamar‘s Tremendous Bowl Halftime present.

Champagne Papi simply filed an amended criticism the place he particularly mentions Kendrick’s efficiency of “Not Like Us” at Tremendous Bowl LIX.

Within the docs, obtained by TMZ, Drake claims the present “assassinated” his character … and he says Kendrick excluding the phrase “pedophile” from the lyrics backs up his declare that the track’s content material is defamatory.

Drake says dropping “pedophile” from the lyrics was the one change made to “Not Like Us” … and he claims Kendrick wouldn’t have gotten the inexperienced gentle to sing the track except he eliminated “pedophile” from the monitor. He says, “that’s as a result of almost everybody understands that it’s defamatory to falsely model somebody a ‘licensed pedophile.'”

Drizzy additionally factors out Kendrick’s Tremendous Bowl Halftime present in New Orleans was the most-watched of all time … and he says it launched the track to scores of recent folks, inflicting them “to be duped into believing that Drake was a pedophile.”

As we reported … UMG beforehand disregarded Drake’s lawsuit as nothing greater than bitter grapes over shedding a rap beef to Kendrick.