Things are heating up, and Universal Music CEO Lucian Grainge sets the record straight about Drake’s lawsuit against the company for defamation and “promoting” Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” track.
According to a declaration letter filed on Thursday night with the Southern District of New York, acquired by Variety, Grainge calls Drake’s claims “farcical,” “nonsensical,” and “groundless and indeed ridiculous.”
Grainge’s comments are in response to Drake’s attorney’s having attempted to force UMG (Universal Music Group) and the CEO to turn in Lamar’s label contract earlier this week.
Drake’s lawsuit alleges that UMG orchestrated a campaign to inflate Lamar’s song popularity to damage the rapper’s reputation, and Grainge was involved in approving and promoting the track.
In his declaration letter, Grainge finds Drake’s accusations baseless and untrue as UMG “has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in Drake, including longstanding and critical financial support for his recording career, the purchase and ownership of the bulk of his recording catalog, and the purchase of his music publishing rights.”
Grainge goes on to comment that Drake and his team are attempting to waste his and UMG’s time and resources.
He claims the rapper is either trying to seek media attention or commercial renegotiations, likely concerning his contract with UMG.
Speaking of his involvement with the production and release of Lamar’s “Not Like Us” track, Grainge explained, “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.”
He explains that despite his role in the company and financial oversight, he has no responsibility in approving cover art, music videos, or promotional material. This is in response to Lamar’s music video having images of Drake’s Toronto home.
In a separate letter by UMG, they address Drake’s lawsuit and the rap battle between him and Lamar, commenting, “The premise of Drake’s motion — that he could not have lost a rap battle unless it was the product of some imagined secret conspiracy going to the top of UMG’s corporate structure — is absurd.”
Lamar’s “Not Like Us” track was released in May 2024, less than 20 hours after his previous track, “Meet the Grahams,” was released, marking an intense feud with Drake. The “Not Like Us” track earned Lamar five Grammy Awards in 2025.
Universal Music CEO Fires Back at Drake, Calls ‘Not Like Us’ Lawsuit ‘Ridiculous’ first appeared on Men’s Journal on Aug 15, 2025
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