Drake has filed a court petition alleging Universal Music Group (UMG) and Spotify artificially inflated the popularity of Kendrick Lamar's diss track "Not Like Us." The filing, submitted by Drake's company Frozen Moments LLC in a New York Court, seeks information preservation for a potential lawsuit against UMG.

Photo Credit: Drake by GabboT / CC by 2.0

The petition claims UMG orchestrated a campaign to manipulate streaming numbers through bots and pay-to-play agreements. It alleges UMG leveraged its "symbiotic business relationship" with Spotify, offering special licensing rates to boost the song's performance. The filing also suggests UMG terminated employees perceived as loyal to Drake to cover up these activities.

"Not Like Us," released in May, has garnered over 900 million Spotify plays and is widely considered a decisive track in the ongoing Drake-Kendrick feud. The song includes pointed lyrics targeting Drake, including "Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young / You better not ever go to cell block one."

UMG strongly denies the allegations, stating they are "offensive and untrue" and emphasizing their commitment to ethical marketing practices. They assert that fan choice, not manipulation, drives streaming numbers.

Spotify, while not directly responding to these specific allegations, has previously stated they "invest heavily in automated and manual reviews to prevent, detect, and mitigate the impact of artificial streaming" on their platform.

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