Though most of the world has moved on, Drake is apparently not ready to let go of his feud with Los Angeles rapper Kendrick Lamar.
According to a legal petition obtained by the Independent, the Toronto artist is accusing Universal Music Group (UMG) — a multinational music company associated with both Drake and Lamar — of artificially inflating the popularity of Lamar’s smash hit “Not Like Us.”
A searing diss track that accused Drake of pedophilia among other things, “Not Like Us” reached number one on the Billboard charts in the spring and broke several records on the streaming platform Spotify. Among hip-hop observers, the song and its meteoric success acted as a de facto knockout punch, making Lamar the unquestioned victor in the months-long battle.
The petition, which was filed by Drake and his company Frozen Moments in a Manhattan court on Monday, alleges that UMG used a network of bots, in conjunction with a so-called pay-to-play scheme, to “manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves” with “Not Like Us,” the Independent reports.
UMG, the filing continues, “did not rely on chance, or even ordinary business practices to achieve success with Lamar’s latest release.”
“It instead launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves with a song, ‘Not Like Us,’ in order to make that song go viral, including by using ‘bots’ and pay-to-play agreements.”
The filing also claims that UMG charged Spotify less than its usual licensing rates in exchange for Spotify pushing recommendations for “Not Like Us” to “users who are searching for other unrelated songs and artists.”
The legal action, which Billboard points out is not technically a lawsuit, accuses both companies of violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), as well as the New York Deceptive Business Act and the False Advertising Act. The RICO statute is often used in criminal cases against organized crime.
Neither UMG nor Spotify immediately responded to the Star’s request for comment.
A source told the Independent that Drake’s issue is with UMG’s alleged business practices and not Lamar’s music.
In 2022, Drake signed a multi-faceted deal with UMG that was reported to be worth as much as $400 million, making it one of the largest recording contracts ever.
As for Lamar, he seems to have moved on. On Friday, he surprised fans with the release of his sixth studio album, titled “GNX.”
“Not Like Us” recently received five Grammy nominations, including song of the year and record of the year.
