Drake isn’t letting up in his war with Universal Music Group. In a bold August 18 court filing, he added alonglist of label executivesto his defamation suit overKendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” Drake claims UMG staged a behind-the-scenes campaign to boost the track’s popularity,andhe’s naming names.
The rapper included 20 more people in the amended suit, including those who hold major marketing positions, and he added a harassment claim. The OVO founder also alleges thatUMG’s goal was to put a permanent stain on his careerwith “Not Like us,” a song whereLamar suggests that he’s a child predator.
Some Of The People Drake Included In His Amended Suit
Many of the people Drake named are from Lamar’s label,Interscope Records, including Ramon Alvarez Smikle, the label’s executive vice president and head of digital marketing. Steve Berman, president of marketing, was also named, as was Tiffany Bullock, Interscope’s influencer and content marketing manager.
Senior Digital Marketing Manager Jordan Bell was also included, and so was Anthony “Tony the Hitmaker” Bucher, who owns Hitmaker Services Inc., plus the head of Spotify USA’s music and audiobooks, Andrew Kronfeld. UMG’s CEO, Sir Lucian Grainge, was added on top of that, andDrake alleges they were all in cahoots to take down his career.
“For his deceptive business practices claim, Plaintiff seeks statutory and actual damages in an amount to be determined at trial based on expert opinion and analysis, plus treble damages and attorneys’ fees and costs pursuant to Section 349 of the New York General Business Law, as well as prejudgment and post-judgment interest"it says in the court filing, perAllHipHop.
UMG’s CEO Sir Lucian Grainge Filed His Own Paperwork
Before Drake’s amended suit, Grainge filed a declaration letter with the Southern District of New York on August 14, and requested to see UMG’s paperwork to determine their relationship with thegood kid, m.A.A.d cityrapper. Grainge reportedly called Drake’s accusations"nonsensical,” as well as “ridiculous” and “groundless,“due to all the money UMG has spent on his career.
Graingewritesin part,“Claims that I was behind a scheme to ‘devalue’ [Drake’s] brand through the release and promotion of the Kendrick Lamar recording ‘Not Like Us’ — an allegation that makes no sense due to the fact that the company that I run, Universal Music Group, has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in Drake.”
It certainly doesn’t look like this court battle is close to ending, since everyone involved is standing their ground. Meanwhile, Lamar’s fans have given Drake a lot of flak for filing the suit, whileDrake’s fans have called him a herofor going against such a mammoth-sized company. Drizzy’s fans also believe that UMG’s alleged wrongdoings will eventually be proven.
