UMG CEO Sir Lucian Grainge Responds to Drake’s Defamation Lawsuit

Universal Music Group (UMG) CEO and Chairman Lucian Grainge has officially commented on Drake’s defamation lawsuit against the major label, calling Drake’s claims “groundless and indeed ridiculous.” Grainge’s statement comes after Drake’s legal team requested documents directly from the CEO. They argued the materials would show Grainge played a significant role in promoting Kendrick Lamar's diss track “Not Like Us," which is the focal point of the lawsuit.

What they said:

• Grange: “Whilst, as part of my role, I certainly have financial oversight of and responsibility for UMG’s global businesses, the proposition that I was involved in, much less responsible for, reviewing and approving the content of Not Like Us, its cover art or music video, or for determining or directing the promotion of those materials, is groundless and indeed ridiculous.”

• UMG’s legal team: “Drake’s motion is a transparent attempt to use discovery to harass UMG and force it to waste time and resources out of spite. The premise of Drake’s motion – that he could not have lost a rap battle unless it was the product of some imagined secret conspiracy going to the top of UMG’s corporate structure – is absurd.”

Background:

• The defamation claim extends in part from the lyric in “Not Like Us,” in which Lamar calls Drake a “certified pedophile.”

• Drake claims that UMG, which is both his and Lamar’s label, artificially increased streaming counts for the track through various means, including bot scams and offering lower licensing fees for the track.