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On November 25, 2024, Drake filed a petition against the Universal Music Group, accusing the record label of using Spotify to inflate the popularity of Kendrick Lamar's single Not Like Us. The song came out earlier this year when the rappers were involved in a feud, releasing multiple diss tracks aimed at each other.
The same day, UMG responded to Drake's allegations in a statement to Billboard. The company wrote that they will never "undermine" the artists working under them, adding that the accusations are "offensive and untrue."
"We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns. No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear," the statement read.
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Not Like Us was released in May this year. Vibe magazine reported in August 2024 that the song recorded the highest number of streams on Spotify, surpassing the records held by Hit 'Em Up, a song by Tupac Shakur. Furthermore, the outlet stated that the single was able to grab the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100.
Drake and his petition against the Universal Music Group explained
As per Billboard, Frozen Moments LLC, where Drizzy serves as a manager, approached the Manhattan Court on Monday with a petition, making accusations against the Universal Music Group. The legal documents alleged that the company used certain methods to artificially inflate the streams of Lamar's song, Not Like Us.
The petition claimed that the record label used processes such as bribes and false advertising. Drake has requested the court to seek the companies for evidence linked to the claims made in the documents, as reported by USA Today.
Drizzy's legal team also mentioned the reasons behind UMG allegedly using different methods to boost the popularity of Not Like Us, saying that it was reportedly due to their relationship with Interscope Records. According to Billboard, the attorneys explained:
"Executives at Interscope have been incentivized to maximize the financial success of Interscope through the promotion of 'Not Like Us' and its revitalizing impact on the artist's prior recording catalog."
Although the petition claimed that UMG used various platforms to expand the song's popularity, the legal documents did not mention the names of the platforms.
Drake's petition mentioned the process allegedly used by UMG
Drizzy's lawsuit alleged that UMG was involved in a scheme where they paid the influencers to expand the popularity of Not Like Us on different platforms and used bots to increase the streams. The lawsuit claimed that UMG used Apple's voice assistant feature, Siri, for the process.
"Online sources reported that when users asked Siri to play the album 'Certified Lover Boy' by [Drake], Siri instead played 'Not Like Us', which contains the lyric 'certified p*dophile', an allegation against Drake."
Billboard stated that the petition aims to get all the information before the rapper's team can file a lawsuit. The documents claimed that UMG attempted to hide the scheme from their side by removing staff members who were possibly loyal to Drake.
Spotify has yet to respond to the claims made in Drizzy's petition.
