Drake has dropped a legal bombshell, accusing Universal Music Group (UMG) and Spotify of rigging the game in favor of his rival Kendrick Lamar. In a stunning twist to their long-running feud, Drake’s company, Frozen Moments LLC, alleges that UMG used bots, payola, and even manipulated streaming platforms to artificially inflate the popularity of Lamar’s diss track, “Not Like Us.”
The claims are serious: violations of racketeering laws, deceptive business practices, and false advertising. According to Drake’s team, this wasn’t just business as usual but a deliberate campaign to overshadow his work and tarnish his name.
What makes this legal feud even more intriguing is the history both artists share with UMG. Drake has spent his entire career under UMG’s umbrella, first through Young Money and later as a direct signee to Republic Records. Lamar, too, has been part of the UMG ecosystem, currently licensing his music through Interscope.
Drake claims that UMG gave Lamar’s track an unfair boost by cutting sweetheart deals with Spotify, directing users to Lamar’s music instead of unrelated artists and tracks. In one bizarre claim, Drake’s lawyers allege that Apple’s Siri even directed users searching for his album, “Certified Lover Boy,” to Lamar’s diss track.
UMG, of course, denies the allegations, calling them “offensive and untrue” and standing by the ethical integrity of its promotional practices.
The lawsuit raises bigger questions about the music industry’s inner workings. Drake’s legal team argues that the alleged manipulation stems from UMG’s internal financial incentives, where labels like Interscope push their artists to maximize profits, even at the expense of others under the same corporate umbrella.
But let’s face it—Drake and Lamar aren’t exactly outsiders. Both have enjoyed enormous success within the very system Drake is now questioning. Is this legal move a genuine attempt to hold UMG accountable, or is it all part of a larger chess game between two megastars competing for dominance?
For now, Drake hasn’t filed a full lawsuit but has requested information from UMG in what’s called a “pre-action” petition. Whether this blows up into a full-blown court battle remains to be seen, but the implications are clear: even the biggest names in music might not be immune to the machine’s dirty tricks—or their own.
As fans and industry insiders alike watch this saga unfold, one question lingers: in a world where even the titans of hip-hop are crying foul, who’s really in control of the music we hear?
