Drake Withdraws Lawsuit Over Claims of Fake Streams for Kendrick Lamar’s Diss Track

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Drake has officially withdrawn his legal petition against Spotify and Universal Music Group (UMG) after accusing them of artificially inflating streaming numbers for his rival Kendrick Lamar’s diss track, “Not Like Us.”

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The decision comes after a meeting between Drake and representatives from both companies on Tuesday, January 14, 2025.

In the filing submitted to a New York court, Drake’s Frozen Moments company requested the withdrawal of their motion for pre-action disclosure and preservation of certain documents related to the case.

Spotify, which had opposed the petition, agreed to the withdrawal without objection, while UMG, which had not filed an opposition, chose to reserve its position on the matter.

The dispute began in November 2024 when Drake accused UMG of using illegal tactics to boost the popularity of Lamar’s song.

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The petition claimed that UMG employed “bots” and payola to artificially inflate streams of “Not Like Us,” which takes aim at Drake over accusations of paedophilia and cultural appropriation.

Drake further alleged that UMG licensed the song to Spotify at drastically reduced rates, generating the false impression that the song was more popular than it actually was.

Drake Withdraws Lawsuit Over Claims of Fake Streams for Kendrick Lamar’s Diss Track

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In response to the accusations, UMG denied any wrongdoing, issuing a statement that rejected the notion that the company would undermine its artists.

“The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue,” they said.

Spotify, too, opposed the claims, stating that their platform had no incentive to favor “Not Like Us” over other tracks.

They clarified that only one of Spotify’s promotional tools, Marquee, was used to promote the song in France and emphasized that it was a paid, transparent advertisement.

Drake’s legal team, however, contended that Spotify and UMG should comply with their requests for documents, implying that there was something to hide regarding the alleged manipulation of streaming numbers.

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This controversy arose following a tense back-and-forth between Drake and Lamar, fueled by diss tracks released earlier in 2024, with “Not Like Us” emerging as the biggest hit in their verbal sparring.

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