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\n\tDrake<\/a> and Universal Music Group<\/a> have reached the discovery stage<\/a> in the defamation lawsuit<\/a> regarding Kendrick Lamar<\/a>\u2018s \u201cNot Like Us<\/a>.\u201d The 6 God\u2019s legal team requested to see K. Dot\u2019s record deal with the label, as well as copies of Lucian Grainge\u2019s<\/a> emails having to do with the smash hit diss song.<\/p>\n \n\tUMG initially obliged to his attorneys\u2019 request to see the Compton rapper\u2019s contract; however, upon receiving the 22-page document, they realized that it was severely redacted and unable to be read. Their purpose for seeing the contract was to confirm that UMG has a contractual commitment to block any defamatory content in their artists\u2019 music from coming out. If and when they receive the unredacted contract, it will be filed under seal.<\/p>\n \n\tAs for Grainge\u2019s emails, UMG claims that their CEO had \u201cno meaningful involvement\u201d in the release and promotion of the May 2024 diss record. The Toronto rapper\u2019s lawyer, Michael Gottlieb<\/a>, countered and said the company\u2019s refusal to turn over his communications \u201cis unsupported by law and would prejudice plaintiff\u2019s ability to test and prove his claims.\u201d He added, \u201cUMG\u2019s insistence on shielding Grainge from document discovery is unfair, unwarranted and inconsistent with fundamental principles of discovery.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAn additional noteworthy aspect of the \u201cNokia\u201d rapper\u2019s legal team\u2019s requests has to do with UMG employees and Spotify<\/a>. They cited an \u201call-hands meeting\u201d for UMG\u2019s marketing team where they were allegedly instructed to use their personal Spotify accounts to stream \u201cNot Like Us\u201d on repeat and would be reimbursed for any fees associated with that act.<\/p>\n \n\tPusha T<\/a>, during his press run for the Clipse\u2019s latest album Let God Sort Em Out<\/em>, revealed that his 2018 Drake-targeted diss track \u201cStory Of Adidon\u201d was interfered with by UMG. As both he and the For All The Dogs<\/em> rapper were under their umbrella, the label did not want one of their acts defaming a fellow signee. In their amended complaint, Drizzy\u2019s legal team is using this claim to pursue further details about their authority to stop songs from coming out and whether they have used that power before. <\/p>\n \n\tIf true, it would mean that they did not exercise this ability when it came to \u201cNot Like Us.\u201d Over the last several months, both sides have exchanged statements and accusations<\/a>. UMG has called Drake out for actively participating in this particular rap beef and using his previous recordings to diss other rappers. <\/p>\n