DRAKE ACCUSES UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP AND SPOTIFY OF BOTTING KENDRICK LAMAR’S DISS TRACK

Drake has escalated his feud with Kendrick Lamar, accusing Universal Music Group (UMG) and Spotify of using unethical practices to boost Lamar’s diss track, Not Like Us. The OVO rapper’s company, 

Frozen Moments LLC, filed a legal petition in a Manhattan court on November 25, alleging that UMG violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. According to Billboard, the petition also accuses UMG of using bots, payola, deceptive marketing practices, and false advertising under New York state law.

While not a formal lawsuit, the filing allows Drake to request information that could lead to future legal action. His legal team claims that UMG offered Spotify reduced licensing rates in exchange for promoting Not Like Us to users searching for unrelated songs. 

They also allege the label hired bot armies to artificially inflate streaming numbers and paid influencers to hype the track on social media.

In one shocking claim, the petition states that UMG paid Apple to misdirect users through Siri. When fans asked Siri to play Certified Lover Boy, the assistant allegedly played Not Like Us, which features the lyric “certified pedophile,” a jab at Drake.

The petition also suggests that financial motivations were behind the scheme, as Kendrick Lamar’s pgLang label is licensed through Interscope, a UMG subsidiary. “Executives at Interscope stood to gain financially by boosting Not Like Us,” Drake’s lawyers wrote, adding that UMG even fired employees suspected of supporting Drake.

Drake reportedly tried to resolve the matter privately, but UMG refused, denying any wrongdoing and shifting blame to Lamar. The label allegedly threatened to sue Lamar if Drake pursued legal action.

UMG strongly refuted the claims, calling them “offensive and untrue.” A spokesperson stated, “Fans choose the music they want to hear. No amount of absurd legal arguments can change that.” Spotify declined to comment.

The allegations follow a heated rivalry between Drake and Lamar earlier this year, which saw the release of multiple diss tracks, including Not Like Us and meet the Grahams.