Drake alleges Universal falsely inflated popularity of Kendrick Lamar diss track 'Not Like Us'
Drake alleged in a court filing Monday that Universal Music Group falsely pumped up the popularity on Spotify and other streaming services of Kendrick Lamar's “Not Like Us," a song that viciously attacked Drake amid a bitter feud between the two hip-hop superstars.
The petition in a New York court by the rapper's company Frozen Moments LLC demands the preservation and divulgence of information that might be evidence in a potential lawsuit against UMG, which is the distributor for the record labels of both Drake and Lamar.
In allegations that UMG calls “offensive and untrue,” the filing says the record company “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.” It said the company and Spotify “have a long-standing, symbiotic business relationship” and alleges that UMG offered special licensing rates to Spotify for the song.
The petition also says UMG has fired employees seen as loyal to Drake "in an apparent effort to conceal its schemes."
Universal Music Group said in a statement in response that 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.”
“Not Like Us,” the wildly popular Lamar single released in May as part of a flurry of dueling tracks by the two artists, includes the lyrics, “Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young, You better not ever go to cell block one.” It has gotten more than 900 million plays, according to figures listed on Spotify.
Spotify representatives declined immediate comment, but in a statement on a previous case, the company said it “invests heavily in automated and manual reviews to prevent, detect, and mitigate the impact of artificial streaming on our platform,” and in broader public statements has said it has gone to great lengths to mitigate the effects of bad actors on streaming numbers and royalties.
The feud between Drake, a 38-year-old Canadian rapper and singer and five-time Grammy winner, and Lamar, a 37-year-old Pulitzer Prize winner who is set to headline the next Super Bowl halftime, is among the biggest in hip-hop in recent years, with two of the genre's biggest stars at its center.
The two were occasional collaborators more than a decade ago, but Lamar began taking public jabs at Drake starting in 2013. The fight escalated steeply earlier this year. The move to court, while not yet a lawsuit, still represents a major escalation of the feud and involves some of the biggest business partners of both men.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Loonie falls to lowest since 2020 after Trump threatens tariffs on Canadian goods
The Canadian dollar fell to its lowest level since May 2020 after Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Canadian goods shipped to the United States once he takes office in January.
They thought they'd found Amelia Earhart's plane. Instead, the search continues
The disappearance of pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart more than 87 years ago has remained one of the most captivating mysteries in history, with a handful of explorers devoted to scouring the seas for any clue to her final whereabouts.
DEVELOPING Follow live: Notorious killer Paul Bernardo seeks parole
Paul Bernardo, one of Canada’s most notorious killers, is seeking parole at the medium security La Macaza Institution in Quebec. He was transferred there from an Ontario maximum-security prison last year, to significant public outcry.
Longtime member of Edmonton theatre community dies during 'A Christmas Carol' performance
Edmonton's theatre community is in mourning after an actor died during a performance of "A Christmas Carol" at the Citadel Theatre on Sunday.
Violence in Montreal had nothing to do with pro-Palestinian cause: police chief
Montreal's police chief says it's 'impossible' for protest organizers to prevent people bent on violence from infiltrating demonstrations.
DEVELOPING Trudeau confirms premiers meeting, Poilievre calls Trump tariff threat 'unjustified'
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be convening a meeting of all of Canada's premiers 'this week' to discuss U.S. president-elect Donald Trump's intent to impose a 25 per cent tariff on all products from Canada and Mexico on his first day in office, if border issues aren't addressed.
South Korea convicts man over binge eating to dodge military draft
A South Korean man who ate to the point of obesity in an attempt to dodge the army has avoided prison after he pledged to take up his mandatory military service.
Ontario woman buys van with odometer rolled back almost 100,000 kilometres
An Ontario woman thought she got a good deal when she bought a van for $2,700, but later learned the odometer had been rolled back nearly 100,000 kilometres.
Video shows B.C. cat bursting through pet door to confront raccoons
Several hungry raccoons were chased off a B.C. couple’s deck this week by one over-confident house cat – who was ultimately lucky to saunter away unscathed.