Having apparently lost the biggest rap feud of 2024 to Compton native Kendrick Lamar, Drake seems to be working the refs.
The Canadian rapper’s attorneys claimed in a legal filing Monday that Universal Music Group and Spotify “conspired to artificially inflate the popularity of Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us,'” Billboard reports.
The two rappers — real names Aubrey Drake Graham and Kendrick Lamar Duckworth — released a series of scathing diss tracks directed at each other earlier this year.
Kendrick capped off the feud with “Not Like Us,” a No. 1 hit that calls Drake a “certified pedophile” and has become an unofficial anthem of Angelenos.
However, Drake’s Frozen Moments LLC claims that Spotify used payola and bots to artificially boost “Not Like Us.”
“UMG did not rely on chance, or even ordinary business practices,” Drake’s attorneys wrote, as reported by Billboard. “It instead launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves.”
Hours after the news broke, a UMG rep provided Variety with the following: “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.“
The timing of the filing, which Billboard notes could precede a lawsuit, is notable. On Friday, Lamar released the surprise album “GNX,” a love letter to Los Angeles that continued his antagonizing of Drake. Lamar also released the first music video from the project, “Squabble Up,” on Monday.
Spotify declined to comment.
Lamar has not publicly responded to Drake’s claims, though if the past is any indication, he’s likely to do so in a future song.
