Drake has taken legal action against Universal Music, claiming that the label used various methods to artificially boost streams of Kendrick Lamar’s diss track, Not Like Us.
In court documents filed in New York, Drake’s company, Frozen Moments LLC, accused Universal and Spotify of participating in an illegal scheme involving bots, payola, and other tactics to promote Lamar’s song.
According to Drake’s lawyers, Universal did not leave the success of Not Like Us to chance but instead orchestrated a campaign to manipulate and saturate streaming services and airwaves. A spokesperson for Universal has denied these claims, stating that fans choose the music they want to hear.
The legal action taken by Drake is not a full lawsuit but a “pre-action petition” that requests the court to order Universal and Spotify to preserve all relevant documents and information for potential future legal proceedings.
The focus of the action is primarily on Universal, with Spotify being named due to its potential relevance to the lawsuit.
Not Like Us was a significant moment in the ongoing rap feud between Drake and Lamar earlier this year.
The song achieved widespread success, with 96 million streams in seven days, reaching number one on the US charts and becoming a top 10 radio hit. However, Drake’s legal filing suggests that these accomplishments were artificially inflated.
Drake’s lawyers allege that Universal collaborated with unknown parties to artificially boost the visibility of Not Like Us by reducing royalty rates for the song and engaging in other questionable practices.
They cite claims from a whistleblower who stated they were paid to set up software bots to stream the song repeatedly.
The legal filing also mentions reports of fans being redirected to Not Like Us when requesting to play Drake’s album on Apple’s voice assistant. This alleged manipulation resulted in economic harm to Drake, according to his legal team.
The legal battle between Drake and Universal represents a rift in their relationship, as Universal has represented the rapper throughout his career. Despite attempts to address the allegations privately, Drake’s lawyers claim that Universal has shown no interest in taking responsibility for its actions.
