Drake has accused Spotify and Universal Music Group of artificially boosting Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” earlier this year.
The Canadian artist filed legal documents Monday in Manhattan claiming Spotify and UMG conspired to use bots, payola and various other methods to ensure “Not Like Us” topped the charts, Billboard reported.
The docs accuse Spotify and UMG of violating the RICO act and using deceptive business practices in New York, according to Billboard. The filing was a “pre-action petition,” not a lawsuit, so it does not seek any damages.
Spotify-Job Cuts
Patrick Semansky/AP This March 20, 2018 file photo shows the Spotify app on an iPad in Baltimore. (Patrick Semansky/AP)
“Not Like Us” dominated streams and airwaves throughout the summer, with millions listening to Lamar accuse Drake of being a pedophile and a “colonizer” as their beef continued to escalate. Vice President Kamala Harris even referenced it at the BET Awards.
But Drake claimed the song reached massive success through “a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves” run by Spotify and UMG, Variety reported.
He further alleged the song was licensed to Spotify at a reduced rate and that UMG paid Apple to have its voice assistant, Siri, misdirect people to “Not Like Us” during other requests, according to Variety.
Though other streaming services were not named in the action, Drake and his attorneys further claimed UMG used similar practices as well, Variety reported.
The pre-action petition is a notice in New York that lets a party know they will be asked for information in a forthcoming lawsuit. It was particularly surprising because UMG distributes both Drake and Lamar’s music, but Drake still named the company as a potential defendant.
Drake filed the documents on the first business day after Lamar released a surprise album, “GNX,” that continued to poke at the Canadian artist. Lamar, who is not named as a potential defendant, did not immediately comment.
