Drake Wins Key Ruling In UMG Lawsuit

Drake has scored a major legal victory in his battle against Universal Music Group (UMG). On Wednesday, April 2nd, Judge Jeanette Vargas ruled in his favor during a pre-trial conference in New York, allowing his legal team to begin the discovery process in his lawsuit against the label over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” This decision denies UMG’s motion to delay discovery, meaning Drake’s team can now request internal documents and depose key executives.

Following the ruling, Drake’s lead attorney, Michael Gottlieb, issued a statement to AllHipHop, saying, “Now it’s time to see what UMG was so desperately trying to hide.”

The latest development comes after weeks of heated exchanges between Drake’s team and UMG. On March 17th, in response to a 32-page filing where UMG dismissed Drake’s lawsuit as an “unfounded complaint,” Gottlieb pushed back, calling the label “greedy” and “desperate.” He argued, “UMG wants to pretend that this is about a rap battle in order to distract its shareholders, artists and the public from a simple truth: a greedy company is finally being held responsible for profiting from dangerous misinformation that has already resulted in multiple acts of violence.”

Drake’s legal team further strengthened their position on March 20, filing a document challenging UMG’s attempt to dismiss the case. They argued that UMG relied on a flawed legal precedent, specifically referencing Michael Rapaport’s unsuccessful defamation case against Barstool Sports. While that case was dismissed on the grounds that no reasonable person would take Barstool’s attacks seriously, Drake’s team contends that millions of people worldwide did, in fact, interpret Kendrick’s lyrics as truth.