Drake has launched a second legal action against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” accusing the music giant of defamation and claiming it could have stopped the release of a song “falsely accusing him of being a sex offender.” .

A day after filing a lawsuit in New York accusing UMG of illegally promoting Lamar’s song on Spotify, Drake’s company filed similar claims in Texas court regarding radio giant iHeartRadio. The new filing, filed late Monday and made public Tuesday, alleges that UMG may have funneled “payments” to iHeart as part of a “pay-to-play scheme” to promote the song to radio.

But the filing also offers important new details about Drake’s grievances with UMG, the label where he has spent his entire career. In it, he says UMG knew Kendrick’s song “wrongly” accused him of being a “certified pedophile” and “predator” but chose to release it anyway.

“UMG … could have refused to release or distribute the song, or required that the offending material be edited and/or removed,” Drake’s lawyers wrote. “But UMG chose to do the opposite. UMG then designed, financed and executed a plan to turn ‘Not Like Us’ into a viral megahit, intending to use the spectacle of the damage done to Drake and his companies to stoke consumer hysteria and, of course, massive revenue. That plan succeeded, probably beyond UMG’s wildest expectations.”

Like Monday’s New York filing, the new petition isn’t really a lawsuit. Instead, it’s a so-called pre-action filing, aimed at taking depositions from key figures at UMG and iHeart to obtain more information that could support Drake’s allegations in a future lawsuit.

In seeking that information, Drake’s lawyers say they already have enough evidence to file a “defamation claim” against UMG, but they could also pursue claims of civil fraud and racketeering based on what they discover from the statements.

UMG and iHeartRadio did not immediately return requests for comment on the new filing. Lamar is not named as a defendant in the filing and is not legally accused of any wrongdoing.

Universal Music Group responded to yesterday’s filing with a statement Billboard. “The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is insulting and untrue,” the company said. “We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns. No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action entry can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.”

Like Monday’s petition, the new filing in Texas is another notable escalation in the high-profile feud between the two stars, which saw Drake and Lamar exchange stinging diss tracks over a period of months earlier this year. Such abuse is common in the world of hip-hop, but few thought either side would take legal action over the insults.

It also represents a deepening of the rift between Drake and UMG, where the star has spent his entire career — first by signing a deal with Lil Wayne’s Young Money label, which was distributed by Republic Records, and then by signing directly with Republic to draw. Lamar has also been associated with UMG throughout his career and has currently signed a licensing agreement with Interscope.

In Tuesday’s new petition, Drake accused the music giant of using illegal means to unfairly prioritize one of its artists over the others.

“Prior to approving the release of the song, UMG knew that the song itself, as well as its accompanying album art and music video, attacked the character of another of UMG’s most prominent artists, Drake, by falsely accusing him of sex. perpetrator, who engages in pedophilic acts, harbors sex offenders and commits other criminal sexual acts,” his lawyers write.

Read Drake’s full legal filing here: