The Drake x Kendrick Lamar beef lives on, but not in terms of new music releases, but because of the Canadian rapper's latest lawsuit against his own label, Universal Music Group, with a new filing seeing another complaint from the multi-Grammy winner. According to Drake, UMG and Spotify have worked together in using "bots" and other schemes to boost K-Dot's "Not Like Us" on online streaming.
It is known that the massive feud between Canada's Drizzy and Compton's Duckworth was one of the most followed issues of the year, with many declaring that Lamar's "Not Like Us" won the fight.
Drake Claims UMG, Spotify Used Bots to Popularize 'Not Like Us'
Drake's recent filing in the New York Supreme Court is starting a new beef, but this time it is not against a fellow rapper, as it targets UMG. In Aubrey Graham's (Drake) filing, he regarded that UMG and Spotify conspired against him by hatching a scheme to use bots and "pay-to-play" agreements to help boost Lamar's "Not Like Us" on streaming platforms and the radio.
It is known that UMG is the label that represents both Drake and Lamar for a massive part in their careers, and it continued to be the label for both artists despite having a massive feud.
Through the use of technology and the company's assets, "Not Like Us" rose to fame said Drake, all while undermining the songs he released during the time. Drake revealed that he does not believe that "Not Like Us" success was organic, contrary to popular belief.
Drake Also Mentions Apple's Bias to 'Not Like Us'
According to Drake's complaint, UMG did not only conspire with Spotify to inflate "Not Like Us's" global streams, but it also paid off Apple which allegedly suggested K-Dot's song to users via Siri, despite them asking for Drake songs.
This latest fight by the Certified Lover Boy centers on the beef he has with his record label after siding with Kendrick Lamar on their beef which led to Drake being the less popular rapper amidst the fight.
Drake and Kendrick Lamar's Massive Beef
The world may have gotten massive beef from the hip-hop industry from the likes of Ice Cube vs. Eazy-E and the NWA, Tupac vs. Biggie, as well as Detroit-native Eminem versus many rappers to count. However, the modern world got a taste of this nasty lyrical exchange between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, with their issues originally involving J. Cole but backed out immediately.
It is also important to note that two of Drake's diss songs released during this timeline were allegedly made with the help of generative AI, especially the song called "Taylor Made" which featured the voice of the deceased rap icon, Tupac Shakur. The song has been taken down after Shakur's estate threatened a lawsuit against the Canadian rapper for his unauthorized use.
"Not Like Us" is one of the biggest hits of 2024 and another defining moment for pgLang, but Drake does not think that it would be as big as it is now—if not for the UMG and Spotify conspiring. Drake recently filed his suit against his own record label and dragged along Spotify and Apple in his complaint, and his winning may have an impact on the music industry, especially on artist-label relationships.
