Drake claimed that Universal Music Group and Spotify both influenced the popularity of Lamar’s song Not Like Us.
Drake has dropped a legal dispute he initiated against his own record label, Universal Music Group (UMG), as well as Spotify, claiming that they had manipulated the popularity of a diss track by Kendrick Lamar directed at him.
UMG and Spotify were charged with attempting to “manipulate and flood the streaming platforms and airwaves.” Attorneys representing the rapper alleged that UMG compensated influencers and radio stations to promote the song, Not Like Us, which reached the top of the US charts and became a significant turning point in the Drake-Lamar rivalry between March and May of last year.
It was also claimed that UMG utilized bots to generate a significant number of streams for Not Like Us on Spotify, misleading consumers into thinking the song was more popular than it was. UMG faced accusations of compensating Apple for intentionally redirecting users of its voice-activated digital assistant, Siri, towards Not Like Us. Additionally, the company had allegedly taken actions to hide its activities, which included terminating employees who were linked to or thought to be loyal to Drake.
Drake and Lamar both distribute their music through UMG, with Drake being signed to Republic Records and Lamar to Interscope.
UMG described the accusations as “fabricated and ridiculous” and stated, “The idea that UMG would act against any of its artists is insulting and false.” Spotify also refuted the claims, asserting, “Spotify has no financial motive for users to listen to Not Like Us instead of any of Drake’s songs.”
The submission was not a legal action, but rather a request for documents to prepare for a possible lawsuit.
In court filings from New York reviewed by the Guardian, Drake has now rescinded that request, stating in the document: “Petitioner hereby voluntarily discontinues this special proceeding against all respondents without costs incurred by any party.”
Drake had previously submitted a different petition in Texas, claiming that UMG compensated the radio company iHeartRadio to promote Not Like Us, and that UMG approved the release of the song even though it included allegations of Drake being a “certified paedophile,” which Drake has rejected. That petition is still pending.
Following several diss tracks exchanged by the rappers, Lamar was widely regarded as the victor. Not Like Us, which also accused Drake of being a “colonizer” exploiting the hip-hop community, achieved the highest number of single-day and week-long streams of any rap song on Spotify.
Drake has put out a limited amount of music since the feud, including four tracks in August, along with two features on Camila Cabello’s album and another collaboration with the Mexican-American group Fuerza Regida. However, he made a return to solo music earlier this month with the freestyle Fighting Irish, which reflected on the Lamar feud and the friendships that were affected by it.
“The audience embraced the gimmicks, and even my siblings secured tickets / It appeared they cherished every second / Just understand that this is deeply personal for us, and it wasn’t merely a business venture … I was regretfully wrong, the loyalty wasn’t guaranteed”, he expressed. He also touched on the “colonizer” claim, rapping “I’m looking at my father” – Drake’s dad is African American.
