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Drake is satisfied that Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” had extra than simply expertise behind its chart-topping success. On Monday (Nov. 25), the Toronto native filed a grievance in Manhattan courtroom, alleging that Common Music Group and Spotify had been concerned in inflating the observe’s streaming numbers.
“UMG didn’t depend on likelihood and even extraordinary enterprise practices,” attorneys for Frozen Moments LLC, Drake’s impartial firm, stated within the authorized paperwork, per Billboard. “It as an alternative launched a marketing campaign to govern and saturate the streaming companies and airwaves.”
As reported by the publication, Spotify allegedly licensed “Not Like Us” at “drastically diminished charges,” and streaming bots had been used to make the report look extra profitable than it truly was.
The petition didn’t identify different DSPs outright, although it alleged that UMG appears to have employed related methods with different streaming platforms: “On data and perception, UMG paid, or accepted funds to, Apple to have its voice-activated digital assistant, Siri, purposely misdirect customers to ‘Not Like Us.’” Particularly, customers would reportedly get despatched to the aforementioned observe for its “Licensed Lover Boy? Licensed pedophiles” lyric when looking for Drake’s sixth studio album.
In accordance with the swimsuit, the music conglomerate’s actions additionally breached the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act in addition to New York legal guidelines in opposition to misleading enterprise practices and false promoting. “UMG’s schemes had been motivated, at the least partially, by the will of executives at Interscope [Records] to maximise their very own earnings,” the authorized paperwork learn.
On the Mustard-produced lower, Lamar delivered stinging traces like, “Say, Drake, I hear you want ’em younger / You higher not ever go to cell block one.” Elsewhere, the Compton native threw pictures at OVO associates like PARTYNEXTDOOR, Baka Not Good and CHUBBS, all by identify.
So as to add insult to damage, different celebrities joined in on the second as effectively. As an illustration, Serena Williams danced to the observe on the 2024 ESPY Awards whereas Taraji P. Henson confirmed up on the BET Awards dressed as Lamar in his “The Pop Out — Ken and Associates” live performance outfit.