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Drake, Kendrick Lamar
Jerritt Clark/Getty Images; Arturo Holmes/MG23/Getty ImagesThe summer of ‘Not Like Us’ is over, but the Kendrick Lamar diss track is apparently still in hiding Drake‘s skin.
Drake, 38, has taken legal action, claiming Universal Music Group conspired to “artificially inflate” the popularity of “Not Like Us,” which accused Drake of sexual misconduct and cultural appropriation.
“UMG … conspired with and paid currently unknown parties to use ‘bots’ to artificially inflate the distribution of ‘Not Like Us’ and deceive consumers into believing the song was more popular than it actually was,” wrote Drake’s lawyers in a petition. in Manhattan District Court on Monday, November 25 and obtained by Billboard. “UMG did not rely on chance, or even on common business practices. Instead, it launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves.”
The Canadian rapper’s lawyers accused UMG – also the parent company of Drake’s record label Republic – of deceptive business practices and false advertising. The filing also alleges that UMG violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, the federal statute known as RICO that is used in criminal cases against organized crime.
The rap feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake is so heated it could burn the hip-hop world to the ground. Lamar, 36, and Drake, 37, have been waging a lyrical war with increasingly personal diss tracks released in recent days. Drake’s ‘Family Matters’ song accused Lamar of being a ‘fake activist’ and claimed Lamar was physically caught […]
The filing details several methods UMG allegedly used to popularize “Not Like Us,” in addition to hiring bots, including paying influencers to boost the song and charging Spotify discounted licensing fees in exchange for recommending the song to users searching for “unrelated songs and artists.” ”
The document also accuses UMG of paying Apple to have Siri “intentionally misdirect” users to Lamar’s trail. (Apple is not named as a respondent in the petition and is not accused of any wrongdoing.)
“Online sources reported that when users asked Siri to play the album Certified Loverboy Through [Drake]Siri instead played “Not Like Us,” which contains the lyrics “certified pedophile,” an allegation against Drake,” Drake’s legal team alleged.
UMG vehemently denied Drake’s claims in a statement Billboardtold the outlet: “The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine one of its artists is insulting 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 entry can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.
Drake won’t try to prevent Kendrick Lamar from performing his megahit “Not Like Us” during the Super Bowl halftime show next year. “The rumors are completely false,” a rep for Drake, 37, told Us Weekly in a statement on Tuesday, October 1. The denial comes after reports circulated that the “Hotline Bling” rapper had plans […]
Drake’s filing is not a lawsuit, but rather a “pre-action” petition, a procedure that aims to gather information before filing a lawsuit. His lawyers claim he tried to discuss the matter with UMG before taking legal action, but argue the company had “no interest in taking responsibility for his misconduct.” Instead, UMG is accused of actively trying to cover up its actions, including firing employees “who are perceived as loyal to Drake.”
Lamar, 37, released “Not Like Us” as part of a series of diss tracks he and Drake exchanged during their ongoing feud. The song was both critically and commercially successful, peaking at No. 1 on the chart Billboard Hot 100 and earned five nominations at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.