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Drake is restarting the beef with Kendrick Lamar by taking legal action against Universal Music Group and Spotify for allegedly giving the diss track “Not Like Us” an unfair advantage. “Not Like Us” was the final nail in the coffin — or so we thought — in Drake and Kendrick's beef that ignited back in April.
According to a Monday (Nov. 25) filing — obtained by Rolling Stone — by Drake's company Frozen Moments, attorneys representing the Canadian rapper are alleging that Kendrick's streams for “Not Like Us” were artificial and were boosted by a “scheme” with bots and payola to promote the song. The attorneys are accusing UMG of “false advertisement, deceptive business practices, and violating the RICO Act.”
“UMG did not rely on chance, or even ordinary business practices,” attorneys for Drake’s company wrote in the pre-action filed Monday. “It instead launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves.”
The legal action Drake has taken is not a lawsuit but a “pre-action disclosure.” It is also important to note that Drake is signed to UMG through Republic Records. Drake reportedly inked a $400m deal with the music company in 2022.
As for Spotify, Drake's legal team claims that the streamer was used to “bot” and inflate streams for Kendrick's diss track. An alleged “whistleblower” was paid for knowing behind-the-scenes information about breaching security.
“The whistleblower described Spotify as the easiest platform ‘to bot’ because it does not, like other streaming platforms, have certain security measures ‘when it comes to bot protection,'” the filing claims. “The whistleblower further revealed that, on May 6, 2024, an individual affiliated with Interscope sent him a payment of $2,500 via the digital payments platform, Zelle.”
Spotify has not commented on the legal action Drake has taken, but a spokesperson for UMG spoke to Rolling Stone about the situation.
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“The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue,” the UMG spokesperson said. “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.”
What's Next For Kendrick Lamar?
Since Kendrick's explosive “Not Like Us,” he has been nominated for seven Grammys. The diss track earned nods for Best Rap Song, Best Rap Performance, Best Music Video, and Song of the Year. He earned two additional nods — Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song– for his feature on Future and Metro Booomin's “Like That.”
Kendrick recently released the follow-up to “Not Like Us” — a surprise album. The Compton native dropped GNX on Friday (Nov. 21) with features from AzChike, Dody6, Hitta J3, Peysoh, Roddy Ricch, Siete7x, SZA, Wallie the Sensei, and YoungThreat; Deyra Barrera, Sam Dew, and Ink. The project also features production efforts from Jack Antonoff, Mustard, Sean Momberger, Kamasi Washington, and more.
Next up for Kendrick after the 2025 Grammys on Feb. 2 in Los Angeles' Crypto.com Arena, is headlining the Super Bowl in New Orleans on Feb. 9.
