In an ongoing legal confrontation with Universal Music Group (UMG) regarding Kendrick Lamar’s controversial track “Not Like Us,” Drake has secured two upcoming court dates—one in December and another in January.
Court documents revealed that Drake’s petition, filed in Bexar County, Texas, is set for a hearing on December 20. This session will focus on whether the rapper can summon individuals from iHeartRadio and UMG for depositions to inquire about any potential illegal activities associated with Kendrick’s widely-discussed diss track.
Additionally, Drake has initiated a separate legal proceeding in New York concerning the same track. A judge is expected to make a ruling on this matter on January 16, 2025. In this instance, Drake’s legal team is requesting the court to mandate that Spotify and UMG safeguard any relevant documents or communications pertaining to their promotional strategies for “Not Like Us.”
Filed on November 25, the New York petition alleges that UMG employed tactics such as bots and payola to manipulate the song’s performance on the charts. The documents criticize UMG’s approach, stating, “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.”
Allegations in the filing suggest that UMG financially incentivized Spotify to push “Not Like Us” to users searching for unrelated tracks. Furthermore, it claims that UMG collaborated with Apple to have Siri redirect requests for Drake’s songs, instead offering Kendrick’s track, alongside using bots to artificially enhance its streaming numbers.
In a related note, Pusha T has publicly ridiculed Drake for resorting to legal channels amid their ongoing feud sparked by Kendrick’s diss.
The Texas case mirrors the New York situation but includes iHeartRadio in the allegations. This petition raises the possibility of a defamation lawsuit related to the content of Kendrick Lamar’s diss track.
Drake’s documents assert that iHeartRadio may have accepted payola from UMG as part of an alleged scheme to promote “Not Like Us.” Furthermore, Drake contends that UMG released the now Grammy-nominated track while being aware that it falsely implicated him as a sex offender, claiming he possesses sufficient evidence to pursue a defamation lawsuit against the music label.
Universal Music Group has firmly denied all allegations made by Drake.
Stay tuned for updates on this developing story.
