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Drake has accused Universal Music of pay-for-play schemes in its promotion of his rival Kendrick Lamar’s music, as the Canadian superstar turns rap’s “civil war” into a bitter legal fight with his own record label.
Universal Music, the publicly traded industry goliath, has been caught in the middle of a rap beef that captivated listeners earlier this year and culminated in Lamar’s smash hit song “Not Like Us”.
Drake has this week filed legal petitions in New York and Texas, claiming that Universal illegally inflated Lamar’s streams by paying platforms such as Spotify and iHeartRadio to promote the song.
Both rappers are signed to record labels owned by UMG. Lamar is with Interscope, while Drake’s music is distributed by Republic. UMG benefits financially from both Lamar’s and Drake’s songs being streamed or purchased.
Drake’s lawyers said they were gathering information to frame a case of civil fraud and racketeering against Universal. They claim that Universal chose to promote Lamar’s hit song, which “attacked the character of another one of UMG’s most prominent artists . . . by falsely accusing him of being a sex offender”.
The company “could have refused to release or distribute the song or required the offending material to be edited . . . but UMG chose to do the opposite”, according to the petition filed by Frozen Moments LLC, which identifies Aubrey Drake Graham — Drake’s legal name — as its “corporate officer”.
A UMG spokesperson said: “The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue. We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns. No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.”
Drake’s legal action comes just days after Lamar released a new album, GNX, which has quickly shot up the streaming charts.
Lamar, who was awarded a Pulitzer Prize, won both commercial and critical acclaim for “Not Like Us”, a “diss track” attacking Drake. “Not Like Us” has been streamed more than 900mn times on Spotify and has earned several Grammy award nominations.
The feud between the rappers reached a tipping point this past spring, as each released a series of tracks hurling insults at each other.
