The ongoing feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar just hit another level. The Canadian rapper is taking legal action against Universal Music Group (UMG) and Spotify, accusing them of artificially inflating the success of Kendrick Lamar’s controversial track, “Not Like Us.”
According to court documents filed Monday in Manhattan and first reported by Billboard, Drake’s Frozen Moments LLC alleges that UMG orchestrated a shady “scheme” using bots, payola, and other tactics to boost the song’s streams.
The track, which directly accuses Drake of pedophilia, has only added more fuel to their fiery rivalry.
In the petition obtained by Variety, Drake’s team claims UMG engaged in unethical practices to artificially inflate the song’s popularity.
These included licensing the song at deeply discounted rates to Spotify and employing bots to make the track seem more successful than it truly was.
The allegations don’t stop there.
The filing also claims UMG used similar tactics across other platforms, including Apple Music.
It even accuses the company of manipulating Apple’s Siri to redirect users to “Not Like Us.”
The petition states, “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 argue that these actions violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act—a law commonly used in cases against organized crime.
They also cite deceptive business practices and false advertising under New York state law.
This legal move is considered a “pre-action” petition under New York law, which aims to gather evidence before filing a full-blown lawsuit.
It’s worth noting that UMG distributes music for both Drake and Kendrick Lamar, making this case even more extraordinary.
The feud between the two rappers has been escalating for months.
Earlier this year, Kendrick released a series of diss tracks targeting Drake, accusing him of inappropriate relationships and addressing personal details about Drake’s family, including his son, Adonis.
Drake has strongly denied these claims.
At the time of this post, reps for Drake, Kendrick Lamar, UMG, and Spotify have declined or not responded to requests for comment.
This battle between hip-hop heavyweights is far from over. Stay tuned for more updates on Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and the drama surrounding “Not Like Us.”
Social media in buzzing in response to the latest development in this “beef.”
Read a few tweets below.
So let me get this straight, Drake is suing Universal Music Group and Spotify because of “Not Like Us”???
— alex (@AlexUlrichh) November 25, 2024
Clown behavior…pic.twitter.com/ZEL1u6A1Lc
Meanwhile 2 months after not like us dropped… pic.twitter.com/NAyt9hW78U
— 🌹RoseGawd🌹 (@djrosegawd) November 25, 2024
Gonna go stream "Not Like Us" on Spotify just out of principle.
— Sowmya Krishnamurthy (@SowmyaK) November 25, 2024
“Drake is balding”
— nat 🇲🇸🇦🇬 (@laugh_track_nat) November 25, 2024
“Drake filed a lawsuit over Not Like Us”
DRAKE IS WHITE. HE IS A WHITE MAN.
Drake is filing a lawsuit over Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ streams and popularity. 😂 pic.twitter.com/MFoUQNcu1N
— keith (@FvshionsWarrior) November 25, 2024
not like us still keeping him up at night i’m crying pic.twitter.com/NsszYYB8VA
— ً (@grandekordei) November 25, 2024
Drake after hearing Not Like Us pic.twitter.com/d12JvjLARj
— kendrick Lyrics (@WordFromKdot) November 25, 2024
Drake is really out here proving Kendrick Lamar’s points about him.
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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