Drake Sues UMG, Spotify Over Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’
The Drake/Kendrick Lamar beef is off the streets and in the courtroom.
Billboard reports Drake has filed paperwork against Universal Music Group (UMG) and Spotify, claiming the two companies conspired to artificially inflate Lamar’s massively popular song, “Not Like Us.” The lawsuit was filed on Nov. 25 in a Manhattan courtroom. Drake filed it under his company, Frozen Moments LLC, and accused UMG of launching an illegal “scheme” that used several factors, including bots, payola, and other methods to make Lamar’s song successful.
“UMG did not rely on chance or even ordinary business practices,” the paperwork stated. “It instead launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves.”
Attorneys for Drake claim UMG’s actions in this matter, which the company denies, violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).
UMG distributes both Drake and Lamar. Drake was initially signed to Young Money, which was distributed by the music conglomerate, and he now records directly under Republic Records. Meanwhile, Lamar was signed to TDE, distributed by Interscope, and is now signed under the label through his own imprint, pgLang.
“The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue,” the company said in a statement. “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.”
Spotify did not release a statement but was accused of helping in the “scheme.”
Drake’s attorneys claim UMG charged Spotify reduced licensing rates so iy could recommend “Not Like Us” when users searched for “unrelated songs and artists.” They also say that UMG paid influencers to champion the song over Drake’s diss records in the battle between the superstars. Attorneys also say that armies of bots were put in place to fraudulently spike the numbers.
