Drake's Attorney Accuses UMG of Exploiting and Discarding Artists

In a hearing this week for Drake's defamation of character lawsuit against Universal Music Group for distributing Kendrick Lamar's Drake diss track, "Not Like Us [click here if you missed that], attorneys for Aubrey Graham argued that UMG exploits, silences and discards artists...

From AllHipHop

Drake’s legal team claims UMG is trying to avoid public accountability for allegedly silencing, exploiting, and discarding artists.

Drake is arguing Universal Music Group (UMG) is trying to dodge public accountability for what they call a pattern of mistreatment toward artists following a hearing on the label’s motion to dismiss the rapper’s defamation lawsuit.

Drake’s attorneys allege UMG has long avoided scrutiny by keeping its alleged misconduct behind closed doors, but a trial would drag those actions into the light.

“UMG is desperate to see this case not move forward because the company can’t hide its misconduct in a courtroom the way it does in the boardroom,” a spokesperson for Drake told AllHipHop. “Soon, in addition to facing concerned regulators and investors, the leadership of music’s most powerful label will have to answer for the damage it has caused to every artist that has been silenced, exploited, endangered or discarded.”

Drake’s legal team urged a judge to let his defamation lawsuit proceed at the hearing on Monday (June 30).

Judge Jeannette Vargas did not issue a ruling but raised questions about how the average listener interprets lyrics in the genre. “Who is the ordinary listener?” she asked. “Is it someone who’s going to catch all those references? There’s so much specialized and nuanced to these lyrics.”