Drake has won an early but important legal round in his lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG).
Court declines UMG request to delay discovery
A judge in New York has denied UMG’s request to delay the discovery phase of the trial. This means both sides can now start gathering and sharing evidence about the case, including emails, documents, and interviews with key people.
Drake is suing UMG for defamation and harassment, claiming the company released and promoted Kendrick Lamar’s diss track Not Like Us, which he says falsely accuses him of serious crimes and endangered his life.
The track, released in May 2024, included lyrics and artwork that Drake believes wrongly paint him as a paedophile. The cover of the single even used a photo of Drake’s house with red markers, implying that sex offenders live there.
UMG had asked the judge to pause the discovery process while it tries to get the case thrown out.
The label argued that Drake’s lawsuit was “baseless” and said the rapper willingly joined the music feud with Lamar.
UMG also said the song was simply part of a long-standing hip-hop tradition of diss tracks, where artists insult each other for artistic effect.
But the judge did not agree to the delay.
Now, the case will move forward. This includes a formal process where Drake’s lawyers can ask UMG for internal documents and request interviews with UMG executives under oath.
Drake’s legal team celebrated the ruling, saying in a statement:
“Now it’s time to see what UMG was so desperately trying to hide.”
This ruling comes after UMG filed a motion in March 2025 asking the court to dismiss Drake’s entire lawsuit.
In that motion, UMG claimed that Drake had no grounds to sue because he had also released tracks attacking Kendrick Lamar and that Not Like Us was a reaction to that.
Drake’s lawyers, however, argue that UMG crossed a line.
They say the label’s actions were not just part of music culture, but harmful and dangerous. They also say UMG promoted the track knowing it could cause real-world harm — and point to a May 2024 shooting at Drake’s home that left a security guard seriously hurt.
Drake signed a large music deal with UMG in 2022, said to be worth up to $400 million. UMG also distributes music for Kendrick Lamar. That shared business link has added more drama to the case.
The next steps in the lawsuit will include gathering more evidence and preparing for a possible trial — unless the judge later decides to dismiss the case.
