Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s twisted war of words is far from over. In a fierce plot twist, the Canadian rapper has launched a legal action against Universal Music Group, which interestingly distributes his and his artistic foe’s recordings.
The “God’s Plan” crooner’s ego was particularly bruised by Lamar’s “Not Like Us” ‘victory lap’ as the viciously personal diss track accused him of pedophilia. He is now going after the leading music corporation for allegedly initiating an illegal “scheme” to boost the song targeting him.
Drake files for legal action against UMG and Spotify
According to a Monday filing in Manhattan court reported by Billboard, Drake’s Frozen Moments LLC accused the music giant of indulging in a ‘pay-for-play’ arrangement to “artificially inflate the popularity” of Kendrick’s song that escalated their lyrical crossfire.
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The legal motion has not yet been classified as a full-on lawsuit, but a “pre-action” petition through which Drake’s attorneys alleged that UMG resorted to deceptive business practices. As per official documents obtained by Variety, the petition states that the music corp “engaged in conduct designed to artificially inflate the popularity of ‘Not Like Us’… including by licensing the song at drastically reduced rates to Spotify and using ‘bots’ to generate the false impression that the song was more popular than it was in reality.”
Without actively alleging other streaming services’ involvement, the filing claims that “UMG appears to have used similar tactics with other streaming services. On information and belief, UMG paid, or approved payments to, Apple Inc. to have its voice-activated digital assistant ‘Siri’ purposely misdirect users to ‘Not Like Us.’”
It adds, “UMG did not rely on chance, or even ordinary business practices. It instead launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves.”
Universal Music Group responds to groundbreaking allegations
Hours after Drake’s bombshell allegations broke out, a spokesperson for the music company dismissed the incendiary claims. “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 rep said in a statement to Variety.
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The scathing turn in an already impossible-to-defuse musical war comes after a summer filled with a series of diss track releases. Lamar’s side of the argument established through songs like “Euphoria,” “Meet the Grahams” and “Not Like Us” particularly accused Drake of engaging in sexual relationships with underage girls. They also cited cases of children the Canadian rapper has possibly fathered in secret. Presenting his response to the inflammatory claims, Drake released his own set of songs. However, he eventually erased their social media presence and stepped aside.
The Pulitzer-winning “Not Like Us” artist played his own part in reigniting the rap beef with his “Hotline Bling” rival by releasing his surprise album, “GNX,” on November 22. As per Vulture’s description of the 12-track release, Lamar’s feud with Drake “still looms over the album” despite the overt non-inclusion of any tracks from their summer-long, well-documented clash.
