NEW YORK: Hip hop musician Aubrey Drake Graham’s company Frozen Moments LLC filed a motion Monday alleging that UMG Recordings, Inc. and Spotify USA Inc. used ill-advised tactics to boost streams and thereby highlight Kendrick Lamar’s hit song, “Not Like Us”.
“Not Like Us” is the final installment in a multi-diss song battle between two of the most famous Hop Hop musicians in the world today, Drake and Kendrick Lamar. It seemed like Lamar had the last laugh after he released the aforementioned track, which quickly became the song of the summer, breaking the record for most weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart. .
However, Drake is trying to reignite his feud with Lamar. But this time, he turned away from rap and went to court instead. The lawsuit filed on behalf of Drake says UMG and Spotify have a “long-term, symbiotic business relationship” and alleges that the partnership has expanded into a “campaign of manipulation and saturation.” [Spotify] and airing a song, “Not Like Us,” to make it go viral, using “bots” and pay-to-play deals.
Regarding the ‘pay to play arrangement’, the petition claims that based on “information and belief”, Spotify recommended songs to users who were “looking for songs and artists other unrelated” in exchange for UMG charging a streaming fee. Service licensing rate is 30% lower than usual.
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Regarding ‘bots’, the petition asserts that UMG paid “currently unknown parties”, to use ‘bots’ or software applications that continuously stream songs on Spotify, to “increase the spread of ‘Not Like Us.” The petition goes on to mention a podcaster who claims he was contacted by an individual affiliated with Lamar’s UMG-owned label Interscope Records to use a ‘bot’ to generate 30,000. 000 artificial streams on Spotify. The podcaster claims he was paid $2500 and promised an additional $2500, along with “a percentage of the Songs gross sales for this first push.”
It’s important to note that Drake is signed to Republic Records, which is also owned by UMG.
UMG FEEDBACK
UMG denied the allegations made in the petition, saying “the suggestion that UMG would do anything to sabotage any of its artists is insulting and false.” They added that “none of the spurious and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can hide the fact that fans have chosen the music they want to hear.”
REACT
DJ Mustard, who produced “Not Like Us” and parts of Lamar’s recently released “GNX” album, expressed surprise at the petition on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“OMG lmfaooooo,” Mustard wrote in response to a tweet from President Lamar’s former label, who wrote “Naaaaaahhhhh. Rap street is done. SMH.”
Famous American radio host Charlamagne tha God also gave his two cents. “Come on man. Because you lost a rap contest? Dot says Fight, not Lawyer. I’m just here for the chaos. Let’s discuss,” Charlamagne wrote on Instagram.
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