Drake Files Legal Action Over Alleged Manipulation of Kendrick Lamar’s Hit

Drake has initiated legal proceedings against Universal Music Group and Spotify, alleging that the success of Kendrick Lamar’s diss track Not Like Us was inflated through artificial streaming tactics. Filed by his company, Frozen Moments LLC, in New York, the claim accuses the companies of employing bots, payola, and other means to amplify the song’s reach.

• Drake’s legal team claims Universal orchestrated a campaign to manipulate streaming data, ensuring Not Like Us dominated platforms like Spotify.
• It is alleged that Universal slashed royalty rates for the track by 30% in return for enhanced Spotify recommendations.
• A purported whistleblower claimed on a podcast they were paid $2,500 to set up bots to stream the track repeatedly.

The diss track achieved remarkable milestones, amassing 96 million streams in a week, topping the U.S. charts, and becoming a top 10 radio hit—success that Drake’s lawyers argue was not organic.

Universal Music called the allegations “offensive and untrue,” emphasizing that fans independently choose their music preferences. Neither Spotify nor Kendrick Lamar has publicly commented on the lawsuit.

The filing is a “pre-action petition,” a legal step allowing Drake’s team to request the preservation of documents and evidence before pursuing a formal lawsuit.

The petition also references online user complaints that Apple’s voice assistant, Siri, played Not Like Us when prompted to stream Drake’s album Certified Loverboy. Drake’s lawyers argue this could be part of a wider scheme to overshadow his work.