The Drake and Kendrick Lamar beef continues, and new claims against Universal Music Group (UMG) allege that the label conspired to inflate the popularity of “Not Like Us artificially.”
In a new filing targeting the label at a Manhattan court on Monday, November 25, Drake’s Frozen Moments claims that Lamar’s song was part of a “scheme.”
“UMG did not rely on chance, or even ordinary business practices,” Drake’s attorneys allege, according to Billboard. “It instead launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves.”
“Not Like Us” is a diss track directed at Drake that Lamar released on May 4, 2024, amid a series of back-and-forth diss tracks between the two rappers. In the track, Lamar calls Drake a “certified pedophile.”
The motion filed is not a lawsuit, but it could potentially lead to one. The filing notes how the music label allegedly used music streaming services to carry out their “scheme.”
“UMG … conspired with and paid currently unknown parties to use ‘bots’ to artificially inflate the spread of ‘Not Like Us’ and deceive consumers into believing the song was more popular than it was in reality,” Drake’s lawyers say, alleging that UMG reduced their licensing rates to Spotify in exchange for the streamer to recommend the song to users.
Apple was also mentioned in the motion but was not named as a respondent.
“Online sources reported that when users asked Siri to play the album ‘Certified Lover Boy’ by [Drake], Siri instead played ‘Not Like Us,’ which contains the lyric ‘certified pedophile,’ an allegation against Drake,” reads the filing.
The motion also states that “Drake has repeatedly sought to engage UMG in discussions to resolve the ongoing harm he has suffered as a result of UMG’s actions,” adding, “UMG refused to engage in negotiations, and insisted that UMG is not responsible for its own actions.”
UMG has released a statement to Variety following the claims, saying, “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.”
