Drake’s defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group just hit a dramatic new turn. The rapper filed the suit in January 2025, accusing UMG of pushing Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us,” which brands him a “child predator,” through alleged “illegal means.”
UMG has denied the accusations, with their lawyers stating, “The notion they would seek to harm the reputation of any artist — let alone Drake — is illogical.”
They doubled down, claiming, “Plaintiff… lost a rap battle that he provoked… Instead of accepting the loss… he has sued his own record label in a misguided attempt to salve his wounds.”
On July 14th, the courtroom chess match escalated. Both sides submitted their witness lists. Drake’s list is 63 names deep, featuring streaming platforms like Spotify, TikTok, Apple Music, and key execs such as Lucian Grange and Monte Lipman. He’s even eyeing those tied to Kendrick’s Super Bowl performance, including Roc Nation and the NFL.
UMG, on the other hand, submitted a tight nine-name list. But it packed a punch: they named both Drake and Kendrick Lamar as potential witnesses. Kendrick’s manager, Anthony Saleh, also made the cut. UMG argues Lamar “is likely to have discoverable information concerning the creation of the recording, image, and video and the distribution and promotion.”
Both rappers have remained tight-lipped on this latest development.
