Drake is ready to scale back portions of his explosive lawsuit against Universal Music Group, signaling a possible strategy shift in his high-profile battle over Kendrick Lamar’s chart-topping diss track “Not Like Us.”
The Hip-Hop heavyweight initially accused UMG of inflating the song’s success using artificial streaming tactics, bots and other actions he claims not only tarnished his reputation but also put his safety at risk in the wake of Kendrick Lamar branding him a “certified pedophile.”
UMG, however, is pushing to delay an upcoming pretrial conference, arguing that Drake’s case may not even hold up in court.
The label’s legal team, led by attorney Rollin A. Ransom, formally requested that the hearing scheduled for April 2, 2025, be postponed, citing plans to file a motion to dismiss by March 17.
That motion could determine whether the case continues or is thrown out altogether if granted.
Documents obtained by AllHipHop revealed that Drake has agreed to withdraw certain “key allegations” from his complaint against UMG.
While Drake nor UMG has not disclosed which claims the rap star is backing away from, the move raises questions about the strength of his initial accusations.
Despite these developments, Drake reportedly wants to push forward with discovery—the phase where both parties gather evidence—but UMG is resisting, arguing that the process is unnecessary until the court decides on their motion to dismiss.