Drake has named 63 potential witnesses in his lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG), expanding his legal battle over Kendrick Lamar’s diss track Not Like Us. The Canadian rapper claims UMG helped promote the song to damage his reputation.
The lawsuit, filed earlier this year, accuses UMG of using unethical tactics to boost the track’s popularity. Drake says the song’s lyrics falsely call him a “certified pedophile,” which he considers defamatory.
He also alleges that UMG used bots to artificially increase the song’s streaming numbers. In court documents, Drake names Kojo Asamoah, claiming Asamoah helped pay for bot-driven stream manipulation.
UMG, which owns both Interscope Records—Kendrick Lamar’s label—and Republic Records—Drake’s label—has denied all of the allegations, calling the lawsuit “meritless.”
Drake’s witness list includes some of the most powerful executives in the music industry. Among them are Sir Lucian Grainge, CEO of UMG; Jody Gerson, CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group; John Janick, CEO of Interscope Records; and Avery and Monte Lipman, co-founders of Republic Records.
Others named include Kendrick Lamar’s manager Anthony Saleh and former Top Dawg Entertainment president Dave Free. However, Drake did not include Kendrick Lamar himself on his witness list.
Drake is also requesting documents from major streaming services including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, SoundCloud, Deezer, and TIDAL. He says these platforms may have information about UMG’s promotional tactics.
The lawsuit points to Not Like Us being performed at high-profile events, including the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show and the 2025 Grammy Awards, where the song won five awards.
Drake claims these moments were part of a campaign to damage his image. He has named the NFL, Fox, and Roc Nation—the Super Bowl’s production partners—as potential sources of evidence. He is also asking the Recording Academy for records related to the Grammys.
UMG has submitted its own list of nine witnesses, which includes Kendrick Lamar. This suggests the rapper may be asked to testify about the song’s creation and promotion.
Both sides have declined to comment on the case. A federal judge in New York is currently reviewing UMG’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit. The court’s decision will determine whether the case will move forward.
