Drake controversially filed a lot of document requests in his UMG defamation lawsuit via a recent Manhattan federal court filing. Not only do these requests target Kendrick Lamar and the Universal higher-ups, but also those relating to their subsidiary, Interscope Records.
More specifically, according to AllHipHop, Drizzy and his legal team are seeking Interscope CEO John Janick's compensation records over the last five years. These financial documents would include salary, bonus, and incentive pay information, as well as the label's monthly profits and revenue starting from 2020 onward. All of this is because the 6ix God and his lawyers are accusing Janick of having a financial incentive to boost the performance of the "Not Like Us" diss track.
Not only that, but Drake wants to see Kendrick Lamar's UMG contract as well, and a valuation of the Compton lyricist's catalog as far back as January of 2020. Attorney Rollin A. Ransom issued a statement to U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeannette Vargas about these allegedly "intrusive, irrelevant, and designed-to-harass" requests.
"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," he 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."
Read More: Drake Asks UMG To Provide Any Documents Related To Domestic Violence Claims Against Kendrick Lamar
Drake UMG Lawsuit
Drake's UMG defamation lawsuit over "Not Like Us" accuses the label of failing to protect his reputation by failing to use their power to block the diss track. As such, he alleges that the label defamed him by promoting and distributing this song and music video.
While UMG already gave the plaintiff's party part of Kendrick Lamar's contract, they refuse to reveal the whole thing due to competitive trade secrets. The music industry giant claims Drake's discovery requests are a "fishing expedition" that wouldn't actually be relevant in this case. We will see how Judge Vargas rules on UMG's request for the court to deny these motions or privately review Kendrick's contract and other documents before making a decision.
