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Drake filed a second action against his record label Universal Music Group in a continuation of his feud with Kendrick Lamar, this time alleging in a Texas court filing the label paid iHeartRadio to boost airplay of Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us,” following a similar filing in New York on Monday that alleged the label artificially inflated Lamar’s streams.
Key Facts
In the Texas court filing, Drake’s lawyers allege UMG—the record label home to both Drake and Lamar—”funneled payments” to iHeartRadio as part of a “pay-to-play scheme” to turn Lamar’s “Not Like Us” into a big hit, Billboard reported.
The filing also reportedly accuses UMG of knowing Lamar’s track contained allegations about Drake that his lawyers say are false, including allegations he is a “certified pedophile” and “predator,” yet did nothing to stop its release.
Like the New York court filing Drake’s lawyers submitted Monday, the Texas filing is not a lawsuit, but the petitions reportedly claim Drake’s lawyers have sufficient cause to file suits.
UMG previously denied Drake’s allegations in response to his earlier filing in New York, stating the idea the label “would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue” and that “fans choose the music they want to hear.”
Forbes reached out to Drake’s lawyers and UMG for comment.
“UMG designed, financed and then executed a plan to turn ‘Not Like Us’ into a viral mega-hit with the intent of using the spectacle of harm to Drake and his businesses to drive consumer hysteria and, of course, massive revenues. That plan succeeded, likely beyond UMG’s wildest expectations,” Drake’s lawyers state in the filing.
Drake’s lawyers filed a similar petition on behalf of his company, Frozen Moments LLC, in New York court Monday, alleging UMG and Spotify artificially inflated the streams of “Not Like Us.” The filing alleges UMG crafted a “campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves,” including the use of bots to boost “Not Like Us” on Spotify.
Drake and Lamar’s feud was kindled more than a year ago when Drake and J. Cole rapped that themselves and Lamar are the “big three” of rap on the song “First Person Shooter.” Lamar rebuked their claim on the song “Like That” in March, rejecting their idea of the “big three” and rapping it’s just “big me.” The two began trading diss tracks back and forth in quick succession, making wild accusations about one another, including that Drake had pursued minors and fathered a secret child, which he denied, and that Lamar had abused his partner, an allegation he previously denied. Many fans and media outlets declared Lamar to have won, citing his lyrics and the better performance of his diss tracks on the charts, including the No. 1 hit “Not Like Us.”
