The Drake vs Kendrick Lamar rap battle goes on. Well almost. The Canadian rapper has demanded full, unredacted access to Kendrick Lamar’s recording contract with Universal Music Group (UMG), drawing attention to the details of Lamar’s business arrangements with the label.
In new court filings, Drake is pressing for materials ranging from financial records to documents involving allegations of criminal conduct linked to Lamar. He argues that this evidence will prove UMG supported defamatory claims in Lamar’s hit diss track Not Like Us to boost its profits.
Lamar, signed to Interscope Records, and Drake, signed to Republic Records, work under different UMG divisions. Their rap battle escalated to court earlier this year when Drake accused UMG of spreading defamatory claims that he is a pedophile.
The Feud
The feud began with Drake’s 2023 J. Cole collaboration First Person Shooter, where the pair declared themselves part of the “big three” alongside Lamar. In Like That, the Compton rapper dismissed the notion that they were his equals.
A flurry of diss tracks followed, with both artists trading increasingly vicious barbs involving allegations of domestic abuse, exploitation, and pedophilia. The clash reached its peak in May 2023 when Lamar dropped his anthemic banger, prompting many observers to declare him the victor – especially when Lamar went on to perform the song in Super Bowl LIX halftime show.
Drake alleges the label made secret payments and offered discounted licensing rates to third parties to promote the song, aiming to damage his music and brand during contract negotiations.
“Fostering Rivalry”
Drake has asked the court to compel UMG and its chief executive, Sir Lucian Grainge, to hand over Lamar’s complete contract with Interscope Records, along with documents tied to allegations of domestic violence and other crimes.
The suit accuses Grainge of fostering rivalry between the two divisions and playing a pivotal role in promoting Not Like Us. Drake also demands Grainge’s communications and documents related to both the alleged crimes and the marketing strategy behind the track.
In addition, Drake is seeking records showing Interscope’s revenues, profits, and the valuation of Lamar’s music catalogue over the past five and a half years, arguing these figures could reveal a financial motive for the alleged defamation. He also wants evidence of UMG’s past practices of censoring works containing defamatory material, claiming the label deliberately chose not to apply such measures in this case.
UMG responded in March, saying Drake “lost a rap battle that he provoked,” and has moved to dismiss the case.
Drake has been a bit touchy about Kendrick Lamar. He even called out a Canadian politician for attending the Compton rapper’s concert in Toronto. This forced the politician to apologize to the Toronto native.
