Drake vs. UMG is shaping up to be the Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar sequel nobody expected. The rapper is suing the record label for defamation, following the release of Lamar's diss "Not Like Us." He has made it clear that he's eager to get proceedings underway. UMG, however, has requested a pause be placed on their pretrial conference. Instead of complying, Drake's attorney issued a statement that absolutely tore into UMG. He not only criticized the label's tactics, but provided evidence to boost his client's case.
Drake's attorney, Michael J. Gottlieb, detailed what he felt was UMG's unprofessional behavior in a four page document. The document alleged that the label's legal team has failed to comply with his requests whenever he's tried to schedule a conference. Furthermore, Gottlieb accused UMG of knowing about the 6 God's legal claims since last July, which he feels is more than enough time to prepare a case. Gottlieb had even more to say on the matter. He requested the court deny UMG's pause request, and force UMG to adhere to the established date. His reasoning? He believes UMG is dragging their feet in an attempt to "circumvent" the rules of the court.
When Is Drake's Pretrial Hearing?
Michael J. Gottlieb revealed that UMG did not provide concrete evidence to support their request for a pause. Drake's attorney was similarly critical of the notion of more delays, since he believes much of the material that will be discussed during the case is time sensitive. He fears that third party material such as text messages, social media posts and emails run the risk of being deleted if the defamation case keeps getting pushed back. Never mind the damage he believes has been done to his client's reputation. The attorney pointed out that "Not Like Us" continues to be an albatross for Drake.
The impact of Kendrick Lamar's Halftime Show has been discussed at length. It was cited by many as a reason why the Super Bowl pulled in its highest ratings ever. The cherry on top of Lamar's performance was, of course, "Not Like Us." Gottlieb cited the 133.5 million viewers who tuned in and saw Drake get mocked in his document. Time is of the essence. And the pretrial date of April 2 is rapidly approaching, so the court will be forced to determine whether they will grant UMG a pause or move forward as was originally planned.
