Drake is demanding Interscope CEO’s pay records, claiming they could reveal a financial motive behind releasing Kendrick Lamar’s diss track.
Drake is upping the ante in his legal clash with Universal Music Group by trying to get his hands on five years of compensation records for Interscope CEO John Janick, arguing the executive had a monetary motivation to back Kendrick Lamar’s 2024 hit “Not Like Us.”
The request, filed in federal court in Manhattan, seeks Janick’s salary, bonuses and incentive pay, along with Interscope’s monthly profits and revenue since 2020.
Drake’s legal team also wants the full recording contract between Lamar and UMG, plus a valuation of Lamar’s catalog dating back to January 2020.
UMG, represented by attorney Rollin A. Ransom of Sidley Austin LLP, pushed back hard against the demands, calling them “intrusive, irrelevant, and designed to harass.”
In a statement to U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeannette Vargas, Ransom argued that Drake’s motion is a distraction from the core dispute.
“Drake seeks Interscope CEO John Janick’s private and highly confidential compensation details going back to 2021—four years before ‘Not Like Us’ was even released,” Ransom wrote. “Yet Drake makes no attempt to explain how his intrusive request for five years’ worth of individual compensation records is conceivably relevant or proportional to this case, which centers on the release and promotion of a single track and music video in 2024. There is none.”
Drake’s legal action stems from claims that UMG could have blocked or altered “Not Like Us” but allowed it to go forward, allegedly tipping the scales in Lamar’s favor during their public feud.
The song, which took aim at Drake, became a viral success and dominated streaming platforms, but the Toronto rapper says his reputation was damaged after Kendrick Lamar labeled the rapper a “certified pedophile.”
UMG has already turned over parts of Kendrick Lamar’s contract that relate to content approval, but refuses to release the full document, citing competitive concerns and trade secrets.
The company also described Drake’s broader financial requests as a “fishing expedition” that would expose sensitive internal data without advancing the case.
UMG has asked the court to either deny the motion outright or conduct a private review of Lamar’s contract before making any ruling.
Judge Vargas has not yet issued a decision.
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