Hip-hop artist Drake has initiated a lawsuit against Spotify and Universal Music Group (UMG), alleging that they manipulated streaming numbers to artificially inflate the popularity of Kendrick Lamar's track "Not Like Us."
The move comes amid an ongoing feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, which has captivated internet audiences in recent months.
Drake's legal team claims that UMG employed tactics such as bot manipulation and payola (the illegal practice of paying a disc jockey to play certain music) to boost "Not Like Us," a song widely seen as a final blow in the rap rivalry.
The lawsuit alleges that UMG "did not rely on chance, or even ordinary business practices, but instead launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves."
It's important to note that this filing is a "pre-action" petition under New York law, designed to gather information before a full lawsuit is initiated. While the petition names both Spotify and UMG, the allegations appear to be primarily directed at UMG.
An intriguing aspect of this legal battle is that both Drake and Kendrick Lamar are signed to Universal Music Group, albeit under different subsidiaries.
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