Drake-UMG defamation lawsuit seeks Grainge emails and Lamar contract

A defamation dispute between Drake and Universal Music Group intensified this week as the rapper’s legal team pressed to obtain private communications from UMG chief executive Lucian Grainge and a copy of Kendrick Lamar’s recording contract. Drake’s amended filing seeks emails and text messages tied to Not Like Us, along with internal records that could reveal how the diss track and its visuals reached the public. Grainge has publicly denied involvement, saying he never heard the song or saw related artwork before its release, while UMG moves to dismiss or limit the request for Dokument discovery.

In the latest court filings, Drake’s side expands its attack beyond the track itself to allege a broader pattern of deceptive business practices and manipulation of an artist’s public image. The amended complaint identifies Grainge and a swath of UMG executives by name, arguing that their actions were part of a coordinated effort to promote Not Like Us and exert leverage over Drake during contract negotiations. Drake’s team also seeks the full recording contract between Kendrick Lamar and UMG subsidiary Interscope, arguing that such material would illuminate the inner workings of the...