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Drake’s Company accuses UMG of faking the success of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.”

Drake’s Company accuses UMG of faking the success of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.”

Drakethe company filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group for allegedly faking its success Kendrick Lamardiss track “Not Like Us”.

Drake’s Frozen Moments LLC filed the lawsuit in a Manhattan court on Monday, November 25, based on documents obtained by PEOPLE.

In a 17-page filing, Drake’s lawyers state that UMG released the song on May 4, 2024 through its subsidiary Interscopewhere Lamar (37) is an artist.

They claim the record label “embarked on a campaign to manipulate and saturate streaming services and the airwaves” with “Not Like Us” “in order to make the song viral, including through the use of ‘bots’ and pay-per-play arrangements.” .

Drake attends the UK Premiere of “Top Boy” at Hackney Picturehouse on September 4, 2019 in London, England.

KarwaiTang/WireImage


Attorneys allege that UMG gave Spotify, which is also named as a defendant in the petition, a 30% discount on royalty rates in exchange for the music streaming platform recommending “Not Like Us” to listeners looking for “unrelated” songs and artists, according to reporting.

The filing referenced a podcast creator who claimed that Interscope paid him $2,500 through third parties “to use ‘bots'” to help Lamar’s song reach 30 million streams on Spotify just days after its release. According to the petition, the platform later celebrated that Lamar’s single reached a record 300 million streams in its first 35 days.

Drake’s company also alleges that “at least one UMG employee” paid radio stations to play “Not Like Us” without disclosing that he was paid. The lawyers emphasize that the alleged conduct is known as “payola” and “is prohibited by the Communications Act of 1934.”

“UMG’s plans to artificially inflate the popularity of ‘Not Like Us’ were motivated, at least in part, by the desire of Interscope executives to maximize their own profits,” the court filing states.

The attorneys added that Frozen Moments was informed that UMG was allegedly “taking steps to conceal its plans,” such as firing employees who showed loyalty to Drake.

The documents show that Drake tried to talk to UMG about the “continuing harm he has suffered as a result of UMG’s actions,” however, the company allegedly “refused to engage in negotiations” and stated that Drake should instead take his matters to Lamar .

Kendrick Lamar attends the 2023 Met Gala celebrating “Karl Lagerfeld: The Line of Beauty” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 1, 2023 in New York City.

Arturo Holmes/MG23/Getty


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UMG’s alleged decision to saturate the market with “Not Like Us” “comes at the expense of other artists” such as Drake, according to court documents.

Frozen Moments’ petition asks for “pre-action discovery” to help the company “identify” “appropriate” parties to name as defendants in the official complaint.

While the company says it has a “viable civil RICO cause of action” against UMG for claims such as wire fraud, mail fraud, bribery, deceptive business practices and false advertising, it adds that it needs more information from UMG and Spotify before it can file a lawsuit be filed.

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(L-R) Kendrick Lamar performs at the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Pilton on June 26, 2022 in Glastonbury, England; Drake is seen before Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Toronto Raptors and the Golden State Warriors on May 30, 2019, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Samir Hussein/WireImage; David Dow/NBAE via Getty


UMG tells PEOPLE in a statement: “The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue. We apply the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns. No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments contained in this pre-action filing can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.”

According to the petition, “Not Like Us” currently has 900 million streams on Spotify, making it the most-streamed diss track in the platform’s history. It also achieved a record 96 million streams in seven days.

Spotify did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.