Drake secured access to Kendrick Lamar’s sealed UMG contract as part of his lawsuit over “Not Like Us,” but the public won’t get to read it.
Drake just scored a legal win in his ongoing lawsuit against Universal Music Group, securing the right to review Kendrick Lamar’s confidential contract with the label—though the public won’t get a peek.
A federal judge ruled that while Lamar’s agreement with UMG contains “sensitive business information,” Drake and his legal team can examine the full, unredacted document as part of the case’s discovery.
The court agreed with UMG’s argument that disclosing the contract publicly could harm business relationships and expose private financial terms.
The ruling comes amid Drake’s lawsuit accusing UMG of promoting Kendrick’s chart-topping diss track “Not Like Us.” Drake claims the label gave preferential treatment to Lamar while using the song to damage his reputation and negotiating power.
UMG, led by CEO Sir Lucian Grainge, has denied any wrongdoing. In court documents, Grainge called the accusations “groundless,” “absurd,” and part of a “conspiracy theory.”
Drake’s attorneys argue that Lamar’s contract could reveal royalty splits, ownership clauses or creative control terms that support their claims.
They also want internal UMG communications about both artists’ contracts and the release strategy behind “Not Like Us.”
The lawsuit intensified after Kendrick performed the track during the Super Bowl LIX halftime show, which aired to over 133 million viewers. Drake alleges the performance reignited online threats and harassment toward him and his family.
UMG has resisted strongly, accusing Drake’s legal team of using the discovery process to investigate private executive emails and disrupt operations.
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