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Drake’s legal team has taken a huge step in his ongoing defamation lawsuit against the Universal Music Group (UMG) by listing 63 individuals and organizations as potential witnesses.
According to a report in Billboard, the list includes the names of several high-profile individuals who could help the NOKIA singer fight his case against UMG. The lawsuit stems from Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us, in which the rapper accused UMG of boosting the numbers. He further alleged that the track falsely portrayed him as a paedophile and included defamatory content.
The report further added that a legal document dated June 2, 2025, related to the rapper's filing was made available to the public on July 14, 2025, as an attachment to his motion to subpoena Kojo Asamoah. The rapper alleges that Asamoah paid bots to artificially boost the streaming numbers for Lamar’s track.
The individuals and the companies listed could be asked by the rapper’s legal team to hand over documents as part of the evidence discovery process.
Continue to read more about the case.
All we know as Drake’s legal team has subpoenaed 63 witnesses in a defamation lawsuit against UMG
Some of the bigwigs named by Drake’s legal team as potential witnesses in his defamation lawsuit against UMG include CEO of UMG, Sir Lucian Grainge, Republic co-founders, Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman, Universal Music Publishing Group chief, Jody Gerson, Interscope CEO, John Janick, Top Dawg Entertainment president, Dave Free, and manager, Anthony Saleh, as per Billboard.
Several other names include Urban influencer and Content Marketing, Jordan Bell, President of Marketing, Interscope, Steve Berman, Senior manager, Influencer, and Content Marketing, Interscope, Tiffany Bullock, VP, Head of Music, and Audiobooks Business at Spotify U.S.A. Inc., David Kaefer, CEO of Interscope, Annie Lee.
His list includes executives likes to companies like Spotify and the NFL. However, it excludes Kendrick Lamar from the rapper’s list of potential witnesses. According to Digital Music News, the list entirely focuses on the individuals and companies linked to the:
“Promotion and licensing of the defamatory material” and UMG’s “use of covert tactics to promote the defamatory material.”
The list required streaming platforms like Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, Deezer, Soundcloud, and TIDAL to provide details pertaining to the case. It also names social media sites like TikTok, Twitch, YouTube, and Instagram to provide similar information.
On the other hand, UMG’s witness list dated March 24, which was reportedly attached to the motion, is significantly shorter than Drake’s and names nine potential witnesses, including Drake and Lamar.
Previously, UMG filed a motion in March 2025 to dismiss Drake’s defamation suit, calling it a “misguided attempt to salve his wounds”:
“Instead of accepting the loss like the unbothered rap artist he often claims to be, he has sued his own record label in a misguided attempt to salve his wounds. Plaintiff’s complaint is utterly without merit and should be dismissed with prejudice”.
A hearing related to the motion was held by Judge Jeannette A. Vargas in New York federal court in June. Her next ruling will determine whether Drake’s initial claims are strong enough to warrant a full trial.
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