Doechii performs at Osheaga 2025 in Montreal.
Charlotte Rainville @jailli
As the evidence collection process gets underway in Drake’s defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) over the Kendrick Lamar diss track “Not Like Us,” Drake’s legal team has included some high-profile names on a surprisingly long list of potential witnesses.
Drake’s so-called “initial disclosure” filing lists 63 people and entities whom he believes have evidence that could help his bombshell case against UMG. The document is dated June 2 but wasn’t made public until Monday (July 14) as an attachment to Drake’s motion to subpoena a man named Kojo Asamoah, whom the rapper claims was involved in paying bots to artificially inflate streaming numbers for “Not Like Us.”
While inclusion on this list doesn’t necessarily mean someone will be deposed or called to testify at trial, the individuals and companies named here could be asked to hand over documents to Drake’s legal team as part of the evidence discovery process.
The central allegation of the lawsuit is that UMG plotted to boost the popularity of Lamar’s chart-topping Interscope Records track, in which he called Drake a “certified pedophile.” UMG, which also owns Drake’s label Republic Records, vehemently denies the claims as “meritless.”
To that end, Drake’s initial disclosure names lots of UMG employees as potential witnesses in the case. But beyond seeking information from the people who handle music marketing on a day-to-day basis, the Canadian rapper seems to believe the conspiracy went all the way to the top of UMG, since he names CEO Sir Lucian Grainge as a source of information about “all causes of action” in the case.
And Grainge isn’t the only UMG bigwig on the list. Also named are Universal Music Publishing Group chief Jody Gerson, Interscope CEO John Janick and Republic co-founders Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman.
Drake has not accused Lamar himself of defamation, and the Los Angeles rapper is notably absent from Drake’s potential witness list. But he does name multiple high-profile people and businesses associated with Lamar, including former Top Dawg Entertainment president Dave Free and manager Anthony Saleh.
As Drake’s lawyers look for evidence of an alleged conspiracy to inflate the popularity of “Not Like Us,” the list states that streaming platforms like Amazon Music, Apple, Deezer, Soundcloud, Spotify and TIDAL should share details about UMG’s “promotion and licensing of the defamatory material” and “use of covert tactics to promote the defamatory material.”
Social media sites like TikTok, Twitch, YouTube and Instagram are also named as sources of this same information, as is Billboard.
Drake’s list targets live events as well. A number of the possible witnesses are entities involved in the production of Lamar’s 2025 Super Bowl halftime show performance, which, according to an updated version of the lawsuit, included a rendition of ”Not Like Us” out of an alleged desire to “assassinate the character of another artist.”
Lawyers for the Canadian superstar say the NFL, Fox and Roc Nation could all have information about the “decision to play the defamatory material at the 2025 Super Bowl.” Drake is seeking similar details from the Recording Academy, asking what actions UMG took “to have the defamatory material featured at the 2025 Grammy Awards,” where “Not Like Us” swept up five trophies.
UMG’s initial disclosure is also attached as an exhibit to the Monday motion. The music giant’s witness list, dated March 24, is significantly shorter than Drake’s by a factor of seven. It names just nine potential witnesses, including Drake and various record executives.
Unlike Drake, though, UMG’s potential witness list also names Lamar himself.
“Lamar 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,” write UMG’s lawyers.
Reps for UMG and Drake’s legal team both declined to comment on the witness lists on Monday.
These revelations come amid a wait for a decision on UMG’s motion to dismiss the case outright. Judge Jeannette A. Vargas in New York federal court held a hearing at the end of June on the question, and her upcoming ruling will determine whether or not Drake’s claims are legally viable enough to move forward.
Osheaga has a knack for booking budding superstars right as they blow up. Last year, it was Chappell Roan. This year, it was Doechii.
The Grammy-winning, Florida-born rapper took the stage on the first night of the Montreal music festival on Friday (Aug. 1), and it felt like a star-making performance. The Killers headlined the mainstage, but unlike Chappell Roan, who played for 40,000 people at 3:30 in the afternoon last year, Doechii did have the honor of closing out the festival on the secondary Forest Stage.
Her set was pushed back slightly to start at 10:10 p.m., meaning she was the final performer of the night before the noise curfew at 11 p.m. And for those who wanted to catch both acts, The Killers made it easy by playing their belt-along favorite “Mr. Brightside” as their first song and packing the first hour of their two-hour, 9:10 p.m. set with hits.
Doechii’s stage set was decked out to fit her Swamp Princess persona, covered in greenery and a large, elevated swampy platform for her to stand on. The crowd was packed in, so the fans stuck at the back still had a visual feast. “I look good from the nosebleeds,” she rapped from her 2025 hit “Nosebleeds,” and this show proved it.
Doechii performs at Osheaga 2025 in Montreal.
Charlotte Rainville @jailli
For a full hour, Doechii kept the energy up. She rapped a mile a minute, all live with almost no reliance on a backing track. She showed off her full skill set, from pure hip-hop to sung R&B/pop hooks, and comedic banter to thought-out stagecraft. She brought unbridled charisma, taking time to dance and twerk and show off some vogue moves as well. She showed off a reverence for classic hip-hop, rapping over Wu-Tang’s “C.R.E.A.M.,” and later screaming over a distorted guitar sample — almost veering towards nu-metal. She showed she can do it all.
The audience stayed captivated, rapping along and matching her energy throughout. It was Doechii’s first time in Canada, and you could tell she was impressed by the reaction. “As an artist, you can get so much hate and negativity,” she said. “Then you go out in real life and see your real fans.”
She took some time to thank her gay fans, her female fans, and the fans who brought their boyfriends. “If your boyfriend hates female rappers, then leave him immediately,” she said.
Seeing all the phones out, she seized her moment. “Ya’ll can’t be scared to stand up for what you believe in, you can’t be scared to say what matters,” she said. “Free Palestine.”
Doechii performs at Osheaga 2025 in Montreal.
Charlotte Rainville @jailli
Doechii broke out her biggest hit, the Billboard Hot 100 top-10 charting “Anxiety,” and thanked all her fans for streaming it. The “Somebody That I Used To Know” sampling song is a bit of an outlier in her catalogue, but it’s a viral TikTok favourite, and she’s found a way to fit it perfectly into her set. After playing the song, she thanked Gotye for approving the sample.
The true highlight of the set was “Denial Is a River.” The song, which features Doechii rapping with her internal monologue, took on a whole new call-and-response dimension with fans chanting along to every word.
It felt like she was still just getting started when, midway through the next song, the beat cut out. “F— that, they cut me off!” she yelled. She put her thumbs down, inciting the crowd to boo, then threw her hands up. “Whatever,” she said, walking off the stage.
Unfortunately, Osheaga has a hard 11 p.m. noise curfew. It’s clear the next time she’s back, she’ll have to have a longer headliner-length set.
Doechii performs tonight (Aug. 2) at Lollapalooza in Chicago, where she’s teased a special guest. If Osheaga was anything to go by, her set will likely be all over social media soon.
This article originally appeared on Billboard Canada.
Olivia Rodrigo was joined by surprise guest Weezer during her headlining set at Lollapalooza 2025.
On Friday (Aug. 1), the 22-year-old pop superstar made her debut on the second day of the Chicago music festival at Grant Park. Toward the end of her evening set, she surprised the crowd by inviting Weezer to join her on stage.
In a fan-captured video on TikTok, Rodrigo shared with the crowd that Weezer was the first band she ever saw live.
“You always remember your first concert. It’s a very, very special moment,” the “Drivers License” singer said. “I remember my first concert. It was a very memorable night. I watched this incredible band and I am so over the moon, because that incredible band is actually here tonight to play a few songs. Will you please say hello to Weezer?”
Weezer then joined Rodrigo for performances of their classic hits “Buddy Holly” and “Say It Ain’t So,” both from the group’s 1994 self-titled album. She played guitar and harmonized alongside frontman Rivers Cuomo during the collaboration. Check out clips from the performances here and here on X.
This marked Weezer’s first Lollapalooza performance since they headlined alongside Widespread Panic in 2005.
This isn’t the first time Rodrigo has brought out surprise guests during her recent festival appearances. She recently invited David Byrne onstage at New York’s Governors Ball to perform Talking Heads’ 1983 hit “Burning Down the House,” and welcomed The Cure’s Robert Smith at this year’s Glastonbury Festival to perform “Friday I’m In Love” and “Just Like Heaven.”
During her Lolla set on Saturday, Rodrigo opened with “Obsessed” and “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl,” and also performed hits including “Driver’s License,” “Traitor,” “Bad Idea, Right?” and “Love Is Embarrassing.”
The Chicago festival continues Saturday (Aug. 2) with headliners Rüfüs Du Sol and TWICE, followed by closers Sabrina Carpenter and A$AP Rocky on Sunday.
Kelly Osbourne is paying tribute to her father, Ozzy Osbourne, just days after his funeral.
On Friday (Aug. 1), the 40-year-old TV personality shared an NSFW photo on her Instagram Story in memory of the rock legend, who passed away on July 22 at the age of 76.
The outdoor image featured a beautiful display of purple flowers arranged to spell out “Ozzy F—ing Osbourne,” set beside a serene pond surrounded by a rolling hill and trees.
In a second post, Kelly shared a heartfelt clip from The Osbournes, the MTV reality series that aired from 2002 to 2005. The snippet shows Ozzy lying in bed with his wife, Sharon Osbourne, offering words of wisdom.
“Listen, all you got to worry about is getting through today,” the Black Sabbath frontman says. “That’s all you got to worry about.”
Just days earlier, Kelly attended her father’s funeral procession in his hometown of Birmingham, England, where fans flooded the streets to pay their respects. Sharon, along with Ozzy’s other children — Aimeé and Jack — laid flowers at the Black Sabbath Bridge, which had been covered with tributes from mourners.
Shortly after Ozzy’s passing, Kelly posted another emotional tribute to her Instagram Story on July 24. “I feel unhappy I am so sad,” she wrote. “I lost the best friend I ever had,” the Fashion Police alum added, along with a heartbroken emoji. Her words echoed lyrics from Black Sabbath’s ballad “Changes,” which she and her father released as a duet in 2003.
Ozzy Osbourne died at age 76, just weeks after performing his final concert. His family confirmed the news in a joint statement. “It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning,” they wrote. “He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”
Just a month before his death, Kelly had honored her dad on Father’s Day with an Instagram post that included a slideshow of Ozzy spending time with her young son, Sidney, whom she shares with fiancé Sid Wilson.
“Happy Father’s Day daddy,” she wrote at the time. “I love you more than anyone or anything in the world! I am so proud to be your daughter and Beyond honored to watch you be the best #Papa in the world to my son!”
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