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Netizens have reacted to the theory that Drake dissed Universal Music Group (UMG) in his 2023 album For All The Dogs. On Monday, November 25, the Canadian rapper filed a pre-action petition against UMG, accusing the company of partnering with Spotify and Apple to inflate the popularity of Kendrick Lamar's chart-topping hit Not Like Us.
According to a report by Billboard, Drizzy's Frozen Moments LLC filed the petition at Manhattan Court, alleging UMG of using bots, payolas, and other methods to boost the track's success. Interestingly, UMG distributes the recordings of both artists.
For All The Dogs was released on October 6, 2023, by OVO Sound and Republic Records. The track features guest appearances from a lineup of stars, including Teezo Touchdown, J. Cole, PartyNextDoor, Bad Bunny, Lil Yachty, Sexyy Red, Chief Keef, SZA, Yeat, and 21 Savage.
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The album topped the Billboard 200 chart, selling 402,000 album-equivalent units in its debut week. It also earned 514.01 million global on-demand streams in the first week of release.
On November 26, an X user @backoutsidebois alleged that Drizzy's song Red Button from the album contains disses directed at Universal Music Group. Fans on X were quick to react to the alleged theory. A fan on X wrote:
"Whole time red button was a lawsuit I’m cryin."
Some popular reactions are as follows:
"The red button is walking away from rap," another wrote.
"Drake predicted EVERYTHING in one track, he could’ve dropped Red Button right now and it would’ve lined up as a perfect response to everything that happened, that’s how calculated that track was," one fan declared.
One fan praised Drizzy, calling him a 'genius' in the Drizzy vs. Kendrick Lamar feud. They wrote:
"We don't give Drake enough accolades for how smart he is in war... Bro is an actual genius."
"This is the ultimate play. UMG showed their hand and tried to ruin his value. When Drake wins this case he’s out of the deal and he will be Independent and a FREE AGENT," one user wrote.
"Drake is what Kanye wanted to be all along," another inferred.
Some other comments on X are as follows:
"Omg Aubrey rhymed hated with devastated omgggg," one user wrote.
"Drake ruined his own career.. can’t blame anyone else. him suing is just a deflection.. end of the day he should have never went at Kendrick…. now all his secrets are being revealed," another commented.
"Most of the bars were about Kanye, you f*cking retard," one argued on X.
Drake takes legal aim at Spotify and UMG over allegedly inflating Kendrick Lamar's Not Like Us
According to a report by The Verge, a court filing at the Manhattan court by Drake's lawyers alleged that UMG charged Spotify 30% less than its standard licensing rates for Kendrick Lamar's Not Like Us.
"UMG charged Spotify licensing rates 30 percent lower than its usual licensing rates for “Not Like Us” in exchange for Spotify affirmatively recommending the Song to users who are searching for other unrelated songs and artists," Drizzy's legal team mentioned.
Furthermore, Drizzy's legal representatives alleged that neither Spotify nor UMG disclosed the compensation received for promoting the song. Another report from Billboard stated that Universal Music Group paid social media influencers to promote the song on their platform. They allegedly used an assortment of online bots to artificially inflate the song's streaming numbers.
However, a UMG spokesperson denied the allegation against the company, as reported by Variety:
“The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is 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 legal filing adds another layer to the ongoing feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drizzy.
