Drake has filed a lawsuit against Spotify and Universal Music Group (UMG), claiming that the two companies conspired to fictitiously increase the number of streams of Kendrick Lamar’s diss song “Not Like Us.”
Attorneys for Drake’s business, Frozen Moments LLC, filed a petition with the New York Supreme Court on Monday, accusing UMG and Spotify of engaging in an unlawful scheme that used payola, bots, and other measures to promote Lamar’s song while impeding Drake’s music.
“Instead, it started a campaign to control and oversaturate the airwaves and streaming services.”
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The song, which had 96 million plays in just seven days, peaked at number one on the US charts, and became a top 10 radio smash, was allegedly leased to Spotify at a 30% discount in exchange for user recommendations and promotional boosts, according to the complaint.
Furthermore, Drake has sued UMG separately in Texas, claiming slander.
According to this filing, UMG decided to release the song while knowing that “Not Like Us” wrongly accused him of pedophilia.
A UMG representative responded by calling the accusations “offensive and untrue.”
They declared, “It is offensive and untrue to imply that UMG would stop at nothing to discredit any of its artists.”
“We use the best ethical standards in our advertising and marketing campaigns. Fans choose the music they want to hear, and this pre-action submission’s fabricated and ridiculous legal reasons cannot change that.
Both Lamar and Drake have a history of working with UMG; Lamar is affiliated with Interscope, which is controlled by UMG, and Drake is associated with Republic Records.
