Drake has filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) and Spotify, alleging a conspiracy to inflate the success of Kendrick Lamar’s track “Not Like Us.”

In a court filing in Manhattan, Drake’s company, Frozen Moments LLC, accused UMG of orchestrating an illegal scheme involving bots, payola, and other manipulative methods to artificially boost the song’s streams and airplay.

The track, which contained sharp disses aimed at Drake was the culmination of the diss battle between the two rappers earlier in the year.

“UMG did not rely on chance or ordinary business practices,” Drake’s attorneys claimed. “Instead, it launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves.”

The lawsuit alleges violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), a federal statute often used in cases against organized crime.

Additional charges include deceptive business practices and false advertising under New York state law.

This legal action marks a surprising escalation in the feud between Drake and Lamar, whose rivalry has been fuelled by diss tracks in recent months. It also signals a significant fallout between Drake and UMG, the label that has represented him throughout his career.

Drake joined UMG through Lil Wayne’s Young Money imprint, distributed by Republic Records, before signing directly with Republic.

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