Drake signs ‘LeBron-sized’ Universal Music deal
Sources said the deal could be in the vicinity of £320m
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Your support makes all the difference.Drake has signed a multifaceted deal with Universal Music Group that is reportedly valued at £320m.
UMG’s chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge confirmed the news during the label’s Q1 earnings call, revealing that the 35-year-old rapper’s deal includes recordings, publishing, merchandise, and visual media projects.
According to Variety, an official figure of the deal has not been revealed. An insider, however, described it as “LeBron-sized”.
Sources told the publication that the deal could be in the vicinity of $400m (£320m).
The Toronto-born musician was previously signed to Cash Money via the UMG-owned Republic Records.
Drake – real name Aubrey Graham – was recently granted a three-year restraining order last month against a woman named Mesha Collins who threatened to “invade” his home.
A US judge granted the order on 19 April, after lawyers argued that Collins had shown signs of behaviour “consistent” with her “prior pattern” of using civil litigation and proceedings to get access to the rapper.
According to documents obtained by the PA news agency, Collins was given “timely and proper notice” of the hearing but failed to appear.
Drake was not present either. Instead, he was represented virtually by his lawyers Stanton Lawrence Stein and Ashley Yeargan.
The legal documents showed that last month Collins had threatened to “invade (Drake’s) home again” if he did not buy her “a brand new house and car” for her birthday.
Collins is reported to have previously made threats against Drake and his four-year-old son Adonis Graham.
The restraining order, which orders Collins to stay at least 100 yards away from the rapper at all times, is due to expire on April 11 2025.
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