Drake is pushing a federal courtroom to compel music-group”>Universal music Group handy over inner recordsdata from its chairman, Sir Lucian Grainge, accusing the manager of personally approving and selling false claims in Kendrick Lamar’s#### diss observe “Not Like Us.”

In a authorized submitting submitted Tuesday, attorneys for the Canadian rapper argued that Grainge performed a direct half in circulating materials that portrayed Drake as a sexual predator and uncovered his residence deal with.

The lawsuit, filed earlier this 12 months, claims UMG’s actions not solely broken Drake’s popularity but additionally endangered his security.

Grainge’s involvement, based on the submitting, might reveal “actual malice” — a authorized threshold Drake should meet to show defamation. His attorneys say Grainge’s communications might present he knew the claims had been false and pushed them anyway.

UMG initially tried to defend Grainge from discovery by labeling him an “apex” government, a time period used to argue that high-ranking officers shouldn’t be topic to routine doc manufacturing.

That argument has since been dropped, however the label now insists Grainge had “no meaningful involvement” and that any related materials would merely duplicate what’s already been collected from different executives.

Drake’s authorized group isn’t shopping for it. They argue that even overlapping paperwork are important to indicate what Grainge knew and when. “Plaintiff never agreed to delay requesting Grainge’s files,” the submitting states.

To reduce the burden, Drake’s attorneys proposed utilizing agreed-upon search phrases to comb via Grainge’s data.

The dispute stems from Drake’s January 2025 lawsuit in opposition to UMG, which alleges the label intentionally promoted “Not Like Us” to break his picture and apply strain throughout contract negotiations.

The observe, carried out by Kendrick Lamar, included lyrics calling Drake a “pedophile” and featured cowl artwork displaying his Toronto deal with.

Drake says the fallout included a number of break-ins at his residence and the capturing of his safety guard. He additionally accuses UMG of launching a viral marketing campaign utilizing influencers and bots to amplify the track’s attain.

UMG has denied the claims, calling the lawsuit “misguided” and “baseless.”

The firm argues it will be “illogical” to hurt considered one of its most worthwhile artists. The courtroom has not but dominated on whether or not UMG should produce Grainge’s paperwork.

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