American rapper, Drake has initiated legal action against Universal Music Group (UMG) and Spotify over allegations that the two companies conspired to artificially inflate the popularity of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.”
In a filing Monday (Nov. 25) in Manhattan court, Drake’s Frozen Moments LLC accuses UMG of launching an illegal “scheme” involving bots, payola, and other methods to pump up Lamar’s song — a track that savagely attacked Drake amid an ongoing feud between the two stars.
“UMG did not rely on chance, or even ordinary business practices. It instead launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves.”
Attorneys for Drake’s company
Drake’s attorneys accuse UMG of violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, the federal “RICO” statute often used in criminal cases against organized crime.
They also allege deceptive business practices and false advertising under New York state law.
Drake’s attorneys alleged that UMG paid influencers to promote the track on social media and arranged pay-for-play agreements with radio stations to give the song preferential treatment.
The petition further states that UMG reduced the licensing fees it charged Spotify in exchange for the platform recommending Lamar’s track to users, even when they searched for unrelated music.
In addition, the lawsuit claims that UMG went as far as paying Apple to manipulate Siri, directing users who requested Drake’s songs to ‘Not Like Us’ instead.
The petition also points out that ‘Not Like Us’ became the most-streamed diss track in Spotify history, amassing 900 million streams.
This success reportedly benefited UMG financially as the increased popularity of Lamar’s song also boosted streams of his other music.
Drake’s legal team argues that UMG’s actions were driven by the financial gain of Interscope executives, who oversee Lamar’s career.
The court filings are a remarkable twist in the high-profile beef between the two stars, which saw Drake and Lamar exchange stinging diss tracks over months earlier this year.
That such a dispute would spill into business litigation seemed almost unthinkable in the world of hip-hop.
It also represents a stunning rift between Drake and UMG, where the star has spent his entire career, first through signing a deal with Lil Wayne’s Young Money imprint, which was distributed by Republic Records, then by signing directly to Republic.
Drake Confirms Touring Australia in 2025
Drake officially announced his return to Australia for the Anita Max Wynn Tour, marking his first visit to the country in eight years.
The Canadian rap icon casually dropped the news during a livestream with a gaming streamer, revealing that the tour will kick off on Feb. 9 and run through early March.
“February 9th for anybody that’s watching from Australia, I’m coming back to Australia for the first time in eight years. Coming back to Australia on tour. Melbourne, Sydney, Gold Coast… February 9 ’til like… March something.”
Drake
While specific dates and venues have yet to be confirmed, Drake teased appearances in key cities like Melbourne, Sydney, and the Gold Coast. However, the ‘OVO’ rapper seemed to rule out visits to “other places.”
The announcement comes as a major moment for Drake’s Australian fans, who last saw him perform live during the ‘Boy Meets World’ Tour in 2017. “Funny enough, it’s actually called the Anita Max Wynn Tour,” Drake said during the stream.
The timing of the tour’s launch is particularly noteworthy, as it coincides with Kendrick Lamar’s highly anticipated Super Bowl halftime show performance on the same day.
The two artists have been engaged in a well-documented musical feud throughout the year, with the artists slinging diss tracks at one another, like Lamar’s “Not Like Us” and Drake’s “Push Ups”. Lamar recently also surprised-released his latest album, GNX.
Anita Max Wynn is a nod to a viral moment from Drake’s December 2023 livestream on Kick.
During the stream, he introduced an “alter ego” with the same name, a pun on the gambling phrase “I need a max win,” which refers to hitting the maximum payout on a slot machine.
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