Drake has taken legal action against Spotify and Universal Music Group, alleging the companies artificially inflated the numbers for Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” diss track — but not his music.
Monday’s filing is the latest in the growing beef between the two artists. Drake’s Frozen Moments LLC accused UMG of launching an illegal “scheme” via methods like bots and payola to inflate the numbers for Lamar’s song that, among other things, accused Drake of pedophilia.
Drake’s attorneys stated in the filing that UMG “engaged in conduct designed to artificially inflate the popularity of ‘Not Like Us’ … including by licensing the song at drastically reduced rates to Spotify and using ‘bots’ to generate the false impression that the song was more popular than it was in reality.”
The filing, which was obtained by TheWrap, added, “UMG did not rely on chance, or even ordinary business practices. It instead launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves.”
Drake’s attorneys say UMG violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), most commonly used in criminal cases against organized crime. This legal update is especially messy since both Drake and Lamar have spent the bulk of their careers releasing music through UMG.
The filing is the latest salvo in a beef between the rappers that began back in May. It reached a new level with Lamar’s release of “Not Like Us,” which doubled down on allegations that Drake has sexual relationships with minors. In it, Lamar rapped, “Say Drake, I hear you like ’em young/You better not ever go to cell block one/To any bitch that talk to him and layin’ love/Just make sure you hide your little sister from ’em.” Elsewhere, he referenced Drake’s 2021 album “Certified Lover Boy,” adding, “Certified lover boy, certified pedophile.”
The beef had quieted down over the summer, but cranked back up last week after Lamar surprise dropped his new album, “GNX,” on Friday.
TheWrap has reached out to Drake’s team for comment. This story was first reported by Billboard.
