Drake has taken legal action against music giant Universal Music Group and streaming giant Spotify, dividing fans and the hip-hop community. While Drake has been attacked by many who believe his legal action is because he got his ass hurt for losing a rap battle with Kendrick Lamar, Drake’s court documents appear to prove that may not be the case .
Drake won’t take legal action against Kendrick Lamar
Drake recently filed two appeal petitions related to the single “Not Like Us.” The first lawsuit, filed in New York Supreme Court on Monday (November 25), accuses UMG and Spotify of conspiring to use bots and paid methods to artificially inflate the numbers for Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” and claims they violated the Scammer Influenced and Payroll Act. The Regulation of Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, New York State Deceptive Commerce Law, and New York State False Advertising Law.
Second legal action filed in Texas accuses Universal Music Group of making “false accusations” of defamation over release of “Not Like Us” [Drake] sex offender” and colluded with iHeartRadio in a pay-to-play scheme.
Although his claims both involve K-Dot’s chart-topping single, Kendrick didn’t mention it in either document, which begs the question: is this more about a beef or Drake disrupting a crush? system?
The answer is probably both. The timing of this legal action, filed three days after Kendrick caused a stir on the Internet with the release of his new GNX album, doesn’t seem to be a coincidence and is consistent with Drake’s stingy personality. However, excluding Kendrick from the legal action, especially a defamation claim, proves that this may go deeper than rap.
Read more: What it means if Drake wins lawsuit against UMG
Reviews of Drake’s latest move have been mixed, with some seeing a bigger picture.
“Drake is suing UMG and Spotify, accusing them of using bots, influencers, and algorithm manipulation to artificially boost NLU’s traffic,” one person wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “He filed the lawsuit not because he lost, but because they violated the False Advertising Act and the RICO Act in an attempt to harm his career. You guys are just too lazy to read.”
Drake has been signed to UMG since the beginning of his career, first through Young Money/Republic and later signing a deal with Republic in 2022 that was reportedly worth $400 million. However, the relationship has soured, with Drake now accusing the label of using illegal means to support Kendrick (who is signed to UMG through Interscope) and bring him down.
Universal Music Group denies Drake’s accusations. A spokesperson for the company released the following statement to XXL in response to Drake’s claims: “It is offensive and untrue to suggest that UMG would take any action to harm any of its artists,” the statement read. “We apply the highest ethics in our marketing and promotions. No amount of contrived and ridiculous legal arguments in this pre-litigation filing can obscure the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.”
Drake has not yet formally filed suit, and his pre-suit petition is essentially a fact-finding mission. This mission seemed more important than taking revenge on L.
