Drake's Company Accuses UMG of Alleged 'Schemes' to 'Artificially Inflate' Kendrick Lamar's 'Not Like Us'

Mar. 15, 2025

(L-R) Kendrick Lamar on Feb. 8, 2024; Drake on Sept. 4, 2024.Photo:Stefanie Keenan/Getty; Mike Marsland/WireImage

Stefanie Keenan/Getty; Mike Marsland/WireImage

Drake’s company has filed a petition against Universal Music Group for allegedly falsifying the success ofKendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” diss track.

In the 17-page filing, Drake’s attorneys state that UMG released the song on May 4, 2024, via its subsidiaryInterscope, where Lamar, 37, is an artist.

Drake attends the “Top Boy” UK Premiere at Hackney Picturehouse on September 04, 2019 in London, England.Karwai Tang/WireImage

Karwai Tang/WireImage

The attorneys allege that UMG gave Spotify, which is also named as a respondent in the petition, a 30% discount on licensing rates in exchange for the music streaming platform recommending “Not Like Us” to listeners searching for “unrelated” songs and artists, according to the filing.

The filing references a podcaster who alleged that Interscope paid them $2,500 through third parties “to use ‘bots’” to help Lamar’s song reach 30 million streams on Spotify just days after its release. The platform later celebrated Lamar’s single reaching a record-breaking 300 million streams in the first 35 days, per the petition.

The attorneys added that Frozen Moments has been informed that UMG is allegedly “taking steps in an apparent effort to conceal its schemes” such as firing employees who show loyalty to Drake.

Per the filing, Drake has tried to speak with UMG about “the ongoing harm he has suffered as a result of UMG’s actions,” however, the company allegedly “refused to engage in negotiations” and said Drake should take his issues to Lamar instead.

Kendrick Lamar attends The 2023 Met Gala Celebrating “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 01, 2023 in New York City.Arturo Holmes/MG23/Getty

Arturo Holmes/MG23/Getty

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UMG’s alleged decision to saturate the market with “Not Like Us” “comes at the expense of other artists” such as Drake, the court papers continue.

In the petition, Frozen Moments is requesting “pre-action discovery” to help the company “identify” the “appropriate” parties to name as defendants in an official complaint.

Although the company says it has “viable cause of action for civil RICO” against UMG with claims like wire fraud, mail fraud, bribery, deceptive business practices and false advertising, it adds that it needs more information from UMG and Spotify before a lawsuit can be filed.

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(L-R) Kendrick Lamar performs at Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 26, 2022 in Glastonbury, England; Drake is seen prior to during Game One of the NBA Finals between the Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors on May 30, 2019 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Samir Hussein/WireImage; David Dow/NBAE via Getty

Samir Hussein/WireImage; David Dow/NBAE via Getty

UMG tells PEOPLE in a statement, “The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive 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 submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.”

“Not Like Us” now has 900 million Spotify streams, making it the most streamed diss track in the platform’s history, according to the petition. It also achieved a record-breaking 96 million streams in a seven-day period.

Spotify did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

source: people.com