Drake's Company Accuses UMG of Alleged 'Schemes' to 'Artificially Inflate' Kendrick Lamar's 'Not Like Us'

Drake’s company has filed a petition against Universal Music Group for allegedly counterfeiting the success of Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us.”

Drake’s Frozen Moments LLC filed the claim in a Manhattan court on Monday, Nov. 25, according to documents obtained by PEOPLE.

In the 17-page filing, Drake’s lawyers say UMG released the song on May 4, 2024 through its Interscope subsidiary, on which Lamar, 37, is an artist.

They claim the record company “launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves” with “Not Like Us” “to make the song go viral, including the use of ‘bots’ and pay-to-play contracts.”

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Drake attends the UK premiere of “Top Boy” at Hackney Picturehouse on September 4, 2019 in London, England.

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The lawyers allege that UMG gave Spotify, which is also named as a defendant in the petition, a 30% discount on licensing rates in exchange for the music streaming platform recommending “Not Like Us” to listeners looking for “unrelated” songs and artists, according to the filing .

The filing mentions a podcaster who claimed Interscope paid them $2,500 through third parties “to use ‘bots'” to help Lamar’s song reach 30 million streams on Spotify just days after its release. The platform later celebrated Lamar’s single reaching a record 300 million streams in its first 35 days, according to the petition.

Drake’s company also claims that “at least one UMG employee” paid radio stations to play “Not Like Us” without disclosing that they received compensation. The lawyers point out that the alleged conduct is known as “payola” and is “prohibited by the Communications Act of 1934.”

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“UMG’s schemes to artificially inflate the popularity of ‘Not Like Us’ were motivated, at least in part, by the desire of executives at Interscope to maximize their own profits,” the court documents state.

The lawyers added that Frozen Moments was informed that UMG was allegedly “taking steps in an apparent attempt to cover up its schemes,” such as firing employees who showed loyalty to Drake.

According to the filing, Drake attempted to speak with UMG about the “continuing harm he has suffered as a result of UMG’s actions,” however, the company reportedly “refused to engage in negotiations” and said Drake should take his issues to Lamar instead.

Kendrick Lamar attends the 2023 Met Gala Celebration of “Karl Lagerfeld: The Line of Beauty” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 1, 2023 in New York City.

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UMG’s alleged decision to saturate the market with “Not Like Us” “comes at the expense of other artists” such as Drake, according to court documents.

In the petition, Frozen Moments seeks “pre-action discovery” to help the company “identify” the “appropriate” parties to name as defendants in the official lawsuit.

While the company says it has a “viable cause of action for civil RICO” against UMG with claims including mail fraud, mail fraud, bribery, deceptive business practices and false advertising, it adds that it needs more information from UMG and Spotify before a lawsuit can be filed.

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(L-R) Kendrick Lamar performs at the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 26, 2022 in Glastonbury, England; Drake is seen earlier during Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Toronto Raptors and the Golden State Warriors on May 30, 2019 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Samir Husein/WireImage; David Dow/NBAE via Getty

In a statement to PEOPLE, UMG says, “The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue. We apply the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns. No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action filing can disguise the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.”

“Not Like Us” now has 900 million streams on Spotify, making it the most-streamed diss track in the platform’s history, according to the petition. It also achieved a record 96 million streams in a seven-day period.

Spotify did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

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Source: HIS Education