Music mogul Sir Lucian Grainge disputes Drake's lawsuit, calling it baseless and preposterous.
In a developing legal saga, Drake's defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) is actively progressing through federal court, with the focus on discovery disputes. The lawsuit, filed by Drake's company, Frozen Moments, in New York state's Supreme Court in November 2024, alleges that UMG had contractual authority over Kendrick Lamar's music and chose to release and promote Lamar's track "Not Like Us," which Drake claims contains defamatory allegations against him.
Drake's legal team has been demanding access to UMG's internal documents, including Kendrick Lamar’s recording contract, arguing the contract details are vital to proving UMG’s role and authority in the disputed release. Initially, UMG provided a heavily redacted version of Kendrick Lamar’s Interscope agreement, deemed by Drake’s lawyers as virtually unreadable.
On August 24, 2025, Drake secured a partial legal victory when Judge Jeannette A. Vargas ruled that he is permitted to view Kendrick Lamar’s contract with UMG, but the document will remain sealed from the public and available only to parties involved in the case for confidentiality reasons. The judge found UMG's justification to protect its confidential business information valid, prioritising UMG’s business interests and non-parties’ privacy over public access.
Regarding UMG’s response and specifically Sir Lucian Grainge’s involvement, Drake’s legal team at Willkie Farr & Gallagher has explicitly sought documents from UMG's highest-ranking executives, including Sir Lucian Grainge, as part of discovery to demonstrate UMG’s authority and decision-making power over Kendrick Lamar’s releases. UMG’s approach has involved strong confidentiality claims and redactions to shield internal contracts and communications. By August 18, 2025, UMG filed disclosures confirming possession of evidence related to Drake’s contracts, recordings, news coverage on Drake controversies, and material related to the Lamar-Drake feud, but these filings do not admit guilt or wrongdoing.
Sir Lucian Grainge, the head of a multi-billion dollar, multi-national public company, has dismissed the claims of defamation and suggestions he was involved in the planning and release of the track as "farcical" and "nonsense" in a declaration letter. Grainge states that he had not heard the track "Not Like Us" or seen its video or cover art until after its release. UMG's lawyers argue in separate submissions that Drake's motion to make Grainge a document custodian is a transparent attempt to harass UMG and force it to waste time and resources.
The lawsuit accused UMG of artificially boosting streams of "Not Like Us," which was released via UMG’s Interscope. The song peaked at No.1 in both the UK and US. As the legal battle continues, both parties are locked in a dispute over the control of internal documents and the roles of top UMG executives, including Sir Lucian Grainge, in the release of potentially defamatory content.
[1] The Hollywood Reporter [2] Variety [3] Billboard [4] CNN
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