Drake and Kendrick Lamar's ongoing feud might soon be settled in court, not on a track.

Court filings obtained by XXL show Universal Music Group (UMG) has included Kendrick on its list of potential witnesses in Drake's defamation lawsuit over the diss track "Not Like Us." The rapper's manager, Anthony Saleh, is also named, even though Kendrick himself is not a defendant.

Major Witness Lists

Drake, on the other hand, has submitted a far more extensive list, 63 individuals and organizations who might know something about the dispute. This list includes UMG CEO Lucian Grainge, as well as executives from Spotify, TikTok and the NFL.

Private investigators even entered the fray: Drake's legal team says it "allegedly hired two private investigators" to locate and serve subpoena on Kojo Menne Asamoah, whom they accuse of using "covert tactics to promote the Defamatory Material."

What's At Stake

The defamation lawsuit against UMG was filed by Drake in January 2025, in which he accused the label of defamation based on the distribution and promotion of Kendrick's song titled "Not Like Us" which he said accuses him of being a "pedophile".

The suit also alleges UMG inflated the song's popularity through bots, pay-to-play arrangements, and algorithm manipulation.

UMG's shorter witness list, just nine names, includes Drake and Kendrick. The company argues Kendrick "is likely to have discoverable information concerning the creation of the recording, image, and video, and the distribution and promotion of the recording and video."

The Legal and Public Drama

Kendrick isn't a defendant in the suit, yet UMG considers him a potential key witness. Meanwhile, Drake is pursuing subpoenas against a huge roster of music-business figures and brands, suggesting he believes the label's entire network was involved in boosting Kendrick's track.

With proceedings underway, no court date for witness testimony has been set.

Originally published on Music Times

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Kendrick lamar, Drake