Drake has withdrawn his legal petition against Universal Music Group (UMG) and Spotify after accusing them of orchestrating an illegal scheme to boost the streaming numbers of Kendrick Lamar’s diss track, Not Like Us.
The song, which contains accusations against Drake of cultural appropriation and pedophilia, became a major flashpoint in the ongoing feud between the two artistes.
In a court filing in New York, Drake and his company, Frozen Moments, voluntarily withdrew their request for pre-action disclosure and document preservation from both companies.
The filing noted that Drake had met with representatives from UMG and Spotify on Tuesday. While Spotify, which had opposed the petition in court, expressed no objection to the withdrawal, UMG, which had not yet filed a formal opposition, reserved its position.
Drake Accusation
Drake’s accusations, first made in November 2024, claimed that UMG distributors of both his and Lamar’s music—engaged in unethical practices to artificially inflate the popularity of Not Like Us.
These alleged practices included using bots and offering discounted licensing rates to Spotify to drive streams. According to the petition, these actions created a “false impression” of the track’s popularity.
UMG strongly denied the allegations at the time, labelling them “offensive and untrue.” In a statement, the company defended its marketing practices, saying, “We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns.”
“No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.”
Spotify also contested Drake’s claims in December, filing papers in court. A spokesperson for the streaming giant dismissed the accusations, stating, “Spotify has no economic incentive for users to stream Not Like Us over any of Drake’s tracks.”
The company clarified that the only promotional tool used for the song was a €500 Marquee ad campaign in France, which was fully disclosed to users as a sponsored recommendation.
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