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Drake's New Victory Against UMG Makes "Headlines"

Drake's New Victory Against UMG Makes "Headlines"

Plus, Ye is ready to roll out 'WW3.'

April 04, 2025

Mustard is joining Kendrick Lamar and SZA on the Grand National Tour. In other news:

Song streams & revenue 💰️
Drake’s team got the last laugh 👀
Ye has new music but lost his girl 😬
New Music Friday releases 💿️
Industry Insights 📈

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Songs Streams & Revenue

As reported by Hits Daily Double for the week of March 21 to March 27.

It’s a new week and a new song revenue chart. As reported by Hits Daily Double, which tracks streaming revenue week over week, the above chart reflects the streaming period from March 21 to 27.

Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s collab, “luther,” is still making big moves on the chart. Meanwhile, Drake’s “NOKIA” is working to take the top spot from the duo as tracks from Playboi Carti’s MUSIC like “EVIL J0RDAN” bring in the bank as well.

Drake’s Team Got a Major Victory Against UMG

Yes, the battle between Drake and his own record label is still going on.

Both sides have been locked in a fierce dispute over the date of the pre-trial meeting. Drake's attorney, Michael J. Gottlieb, argued that any further delay would harm the rapper’s public image (citing Kendrick Lamar’s giant Super Bowl performance). He also demanded that UMG get it together and finally start the discovery process. Now, a federal judge has weighed in on the matter.

Team Drizzy wins this battle

On April 2, Judge Jeanette Vargas denied UMG’s motion to stop the discovery process due to flaws in Drake’s case and the rapper allegedly demanding “highly commercial sensitive documents.” These official records included “Lamar’s contracts with Universal and metrics that determined incentive compensation for Interscope executives over the past five years.”

The judge made it clear that she typically doesn’t delay discovery unless there are "extraordinary circumstances" that warrant it.

Gottlieb responded to the ruling with his own statement: “Now it’s time to see what UMG was so desperately trying to hide.” UMG has yet to comment on the latest updates in the case.

Drake's legal team is now free to proceed with obtaining crucial documents and securing witness testimonies. However, in a civil lawsuit, the discovery process goes both ways, meaning that the plaintiff is also subject to scrutiny. UMG is expected to request a range of sensitive materials related to Drake, and they may even push to have the rapper testify.

Drake’s team had previously sought documents related to several issues, including decisions about censoring lyrics for the Super Bowl halftime show, promotional strategies for “Not Like Us” on streaming platforms (although they’re withdrawing the allegations that UMG used bots to boost popularity), and any communications with the Recording Academy ahead of Lamar’s Grammy wins.

They also requested “all contracts and agreements” between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, as well as his representatives. However, it remains to be seen what documents UMG will ultimately provide.

Will Drake and his team win it all?

Click an option below to weigh in

Ye Enters His 'WW3' Era as a Single Man

It’s no surprise that Ye has been on one for the past couple of weeks. His recent interview with DJ Akademiks, where he wore a black KKK hood and robe, set social media on fire as he took aim at everyone from Playboi Carti to his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, accusing them of betraying him. Now, the controversial rapper is leaning into the chaos and dropping new music (brace yourselves).

The Chicago native was set to drop his latest album, WW3, last night, with the only feature being rapper Dave Blunts. Midnight came and went with no new album, but Ye seems committed to his rage bait era and it’ll likely see the light of day eventually.

The two previously got in touch when Ye was connecting Blunts with his personal trainer. Ye also called out Rolling Loud for not letting Blunts perform some of his offensive tracks that include anti-LGBTQIA+ slurs (this was later clarified to be a request from Blunts’ team, not the festival).

DJ Akademiks announced the album was coming while on his livestream—Ye allegedly gave him the exclusive on the news. The eleven-track project includes songs like “Cosby,” “Nitrous,” and “Bianca.” The latter song is one of the most controversial, with the rapper and his wife Bianca Censori reportedly calling it quits.

On the track, Ye sings about Censori allegedly trying to have the rapper committed, having a panic attack over his controversial tweets, and running away in his Maybach. This may be the most dramatic of all their alleged splits, but making a song about an ex is standard Ye behavior.

The idea of a forthcoming Ye album doesn’t have the same demand it used to, and his former fans are not feeling what he’s putting out online.

Are y’all listening to “WW3?”