Drake filed his defamation lawsuit against UMG on 15th January 2025.
Lucian Grainge, CEO of Universal Music, has responded to Drake’s January lawsuit against his record label alleging favouritism. The lawsuit came as a result of Drake suffering a public loss in a rap battle against Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar. The lawsuit centres around the sign ‘Not Like Us’ that paints Drake in a negative light.
In his lawsuit, the Toronto rapper claimed that he suffered reputational damage as a result of the sign. He alleged that the record label favoured Lamar’s diss record and helped it become a global hit.
Grainge, who is the CEO of Universal Music Group (UMG), the record label for both artists, did not break his silence for the longest time. However, several months after the lawsuit was filed, he came forward with his statement.
In a declaration letter obtained by Variety and filed with the Southern District of New York, Grainge dismissed the claims. He mentioned that the label has invested hundreds of millions to build the Canadian rapper into a global icon.
A popular narrative among Drake fans after the lawsuit has been that Not Like Us was UMG’s way of devaluing their biggest star, Drake. In his response, Grainge addresses this allegation and shuts down the narrative for good.
“Claims that I was behind a scheme to ‘devalue’ [Drake’s] brand through the release and promotion of the Kendrick Lamar recording ‘Not Like Us’ — an allegation that makes no sense due to the fact that the company that I run, Universal Music Group N.V., has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in Drake” Grainge wrote in the letter acquired by Variety.
The rapper was reportedly paid $400 million for re-signing with the label in 2022.
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Clearing the air for good, Lucian Grainge clearly said that he had not heard “Not Like Us” before its release through Interscope Records.
“Given Drake’s motion, I would like to make it quite clear that I had never heard the recording ‘Not Like Us,’ nor ever saw the corresponding cover art or music video, until after they were released by Interscope Records,” read the letter acquired by Variety.
Also Read: Universal CEO responds to Drake’s Lawsuit Over Kendrick Lamar’s Chart-Topping Song ‘Not Like Us’
In addition to the CEO, the company itself shared a letter calling Drake’s lawsuit “Absurd” and a way to “harass UMG and force it to waste time and resources out of spite.”
In their letter, the company called out Drake for believing that there was a conspiracy to make Drake lose a rap battle. The letter also defended its CEO and said “his days are spent determining and implementing global strategy, not vetting individual tracks.” UMG ended the letter by writing, “Drake does not come close to meeting his burden of showing that Sir Lucian must be a custodian. His motion should be denied.”
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