The plot twists from one of hip-hop’s greatest battles have been plentiful. Yesterday Drake sued his Universal Music Group (UMG) label and Spotify, accusing them of artificially driving streams to Kendrick Lamar’s anthem “Not Like Us” while the two rap giants were engaged in a war for the ages.
The suit claims that UMG gave streaming giant Spotify the rights to license “Not Like Us” at a 30% reduced rate. In turn the song was put in front of listeners who did not request the record through varying means.
The suit also accuses UMG of implementing bots to boost the popularity of “Not Like Us” therefore influencing the algorithm. Also called out was the hiring of influencers to rally behind the DJ-Mustard-produced single.
This initial petition tactic is intended to provide Drake’s attorneys with additional information, although they’ve said they have enough to support a claim for defamation. The petition accuses UMG of violating the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act, which is a charge used in criminal cases. In this case it would be civil.
UMG quickly responded with a statement to Billboard: “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.”
David Dennis, Jr.
The petition has not been received well in the court of public opinion as fans are stumped by Drake’s inability to concede. Couching the suit as necessary for the betterment of all artists moving forward has also landed poorly.
That didn’t stop Drake and his team from filing a second action suit today, accusing UMG of defamation and “funnelling payments” to iHeartRadio in the form of a pay-to play scheme. The suit goes further, saying that UMG knew that the content of the song was false, regarding the accusations that Drake was a pedophile but the company chose to release it.
Drake’s lawyers say that the song could have been edited to remove the content that wasn’t fact or refuse to release the record. “UMG designed, financed and then executed a plan to turn ‘Not Like Us’ into a viral mega-hit with the intent of using the spectacle of harm to Drake and his business to drive consumer hysteria and, of course, massive revenues.”
This story is developing.