Drake has now taken legal action against Kendrick Lamar's label, Universal Music Group (UMG) and Spotify, alleging that the two companies collaborated to artificially boost the popularity of Kendrick Lamar's track "Not Like Us." The song has, of course, been at the center of a public feud between the two prominent artists, with Lamar's lyrics directly targeting Drake.

In a petition filed today, 25 November, in a Manhattan court by Drake's firm, Frozen Moments LLC, UMG stands accused of implementing an "illegal scheme" that involved tactics like employing bots and pay-for-play schemes to amplify streaming numbers and airplay for Lamar's diss track. According to Drake's lawyers, UMG spearheaded a concerted effort not based on standard marketing practices but rather on manipulating streaming services and media exposure to promote the track.

Attorneys representing Drake state in the petition:

“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.”

Drake’s legal representatives have cited potential violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, commonly known as the RICO Act, alongside accusations of false advertising and deceptive business practices under state law. While this filing does not yet constitute a full lawsuit, it serves as a pre-action petition aimed at gathering information before advancing with any legal proceedings.

UMG has firmly denied these allegations, deeming them offensive and unsubstantiated. A spokesperson told Billboard:

“The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue. 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.”

The legal document details various claims, noting that UMG allegedly arranged reduced licensing fees for Spotify in return for promoting Lamar’s song to users searching for unrelated content. The petition also suggests that UMG engaged influencers and employed numerous bots to artificially boost the song’s streaming numbers.

They say:

“UMG … conspired with and paid currently unknown parties to use ‘bots’ to artificially inflate the spread of ‘Not Like Us’ and deceive consumers into believing the song was more popular than it was in reality.”

One assertion in the petition claims that according to "online sources" UMG may have even financially incentivized Apple to redirect users of its Siri assistant play requests for Drake’s music to Lamar's track instead. Even so, Apple was not named as a party in the legal motion.

“Online sources reported that when users asked Siri to play the album ‘Certified Lover Boy’, Siri instead played ‘Not Like Us,’ which contains the lyric ‘certified pedophile,’ an allegation against Drake.”

The reason for doing this? Drake's representatives point to a profit motive:

“UMG’s schemes … were motivated, at least in part, by the desire of executives at Interscope to maximize their own profits. Executives at Interscope have been incentivized to maximize the financial success of Interscope through the promotion of ‘Not Like Us’ and its revitalizing impact on the artist’s prior recording catalog.”

Drake has reportedly attempted several discussions with UMG to address these matters behind the scenes but says the company has shown little willingness to assume responsibility for any of his claims.