Drake claims that Spotify and Universal Music Group (UMG) conspired to fabricated the number of streams of Kendrick Lamar’s diss song, “Not Like Us,” and has filed a lawsuit against them.
UMG and Spotify were accused by lawyers for Drake’s company, Frozen Moments LLC, in a petition filed with the New York Supreme Court on Monday of engaging in an unlawful operation that used payola, bots, and other measures to promote Lamar’s song while impeding Drake’s music.
Rather than that, it started a drive to control and flood the airways and streaming services.
According to the lawsuit, Spotify received a 30% discount on the song’s licensing in exchange for user recommendations and promotional boosts. The song, which received 96 million plays in only seven days, peaked at number one on the US charts, and became a top 10 radio smash.
Drake also filed a separate case against UMG in Texas, claiming slander.
This complaint claimed that UMG distributed the song while knowing that “Not Like Us” wrongly accused him of pedophilia.
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According to a UMG representative, the accusations were “offensive and untrue.”
“It is offensive and untrue to suggest that UMG would stop at nothing to discredit any of its artists,” they stated.
“In our advertising and marketing activities, we use the most ethical standards. The reality that fans select the music they wish to hear cannot be concealed by any number of fanciful and fabricated legal reasons in this pre-action filing.
Both Drake and Lamar have a history of working with UMG; Drake is affiliated with Republic Records, and Lamar is affiliated with Interscope, both of which are controlled by UMG.
