Drake’s camp has issued a pointed response following Universal Music Group’s reaction to the amended complaint filed in the rapper’s defamation lawsuit earlier this week.
In a statement released Tuesday evening, a spokesperson for Drake said:
“UMG’s latest statement is a desperate attempt to spin the narrative and deflect from the truth: Drake is holding the largest music conglomerate in the world accountable for its actions and doing so without fear.
We dismissed the Texas discovery action because discovery will now proceed in New York. That’s not retreat, that’s victory. UMG dismissed its First Amendment petition in Texas because it has no claim—that’s losing. And UMG knows the case against it is only getting stronger.
Drake welcomes discovery and has nothing to hide. It’s not Drake who should worry—it’s UMG’s current leadership. We look forward to hearing from Lucian Grainge, John Janick, and other UMG employees under oath.
UMG claims to stand for creativity, but in fact exploits it, and the artist community knows that. UMG drains artists for profit and then discards them. Drake joins a growing chorus of artists raising serious concerns about UMG’s leadership. The public and artists alike should be concerned about recent headlines involving UMG’s largest stakeholder, which only reinforces the need for transparency all the way to the board of directors.
UMG said, ‘Be careful what you ask for.’ Drake knows exactly what he asked for: the truth and accountability.”
The statement comes just a day after Drake’s legal team filed an amended complaint in New York, introducing new claims that UMG made significant financial investments and used its industry influence to elevate defamatory narratives about the rapper.
The complaint accuses the music giant of orchestrating a highly coordinated publicity campaign that resulted in defamatory claims being amplified to over 133 million viewers during the Super Bowl and more than 15 million during the Grammy Awards.
As the high-profile case continues to unfold, both sides appear to be preparing for a discovery process that could have major implications not just for Drake and UMG, but the music industry as a whole.
