Judge Allows Drake to View Unredacted UMG-Lamar Contract Under Seal

A federal judge has granted rapper Drake and his lawyers access to an unredacted copy of Kendrick Lamar’s recording contract with Universal Music Group for the purpose of discovery in Drake’s defamation lawsuit, but the document will remain sealed from public view. Judge Jeannette A. Vargas ruled that Universal had shown the contract contains confidential, sensitive business information and that the need to protect commercial relationships and the privacy of nonparties outweighs the presumption of public access.

The contract at issue is central to Drake’s claim that Universal Music Group, through its labels, improperly promoted and amplified Kendrick Lamar’s diss track Not Like Us in a way that damaged Drake’s reputation and bargaining power. Drake alleges the company gave preferential treatment to Lamar and that executives approved or participated in decisions that led to the song’s release and wide distribution. The suit intensified after Lamar performed the track at the Super Bowl LIX halftime show, which Drake says renewed threats and harassment against him and his family.

In recent filings, Drake’s legal team argued the copy of the 22-page agreement produced by Universal...