Drake has officially dropped his legal action against Universal Music and Spotify, alleging their involvement in artificially boosting the streams of Kendrick Lamar's diss track "Not Like Us." The Canadian rapper initially filed the case in November, claiming that the two companies utilized bots and unethical marketing practices to inflate the track's popularity, which includes allegations of inappropriate behavior against him.
On Tuesday, his legal team filed a motion to withdraw the lawsuit without opposition from Spotify and with Universal reserving its position. While this claim has been shelved, a related case against Universal and iHeartRadio in Texas remains active. The diss track "Not Like Us" is seen as a significant moment in the ongoing rivalry between the two artists, with Lamar's lyrics provocatively suggesting inappropriate tendencies.
Drake's response track, “The Heart Part 6,” countered these allegations but did not achieve similar acclaim, as "Not Like Us" debuted at the top of the US charts and garnered over one billion streams on Spotify. In the legal filings, Drake asserted that Universal had effectively misused its licensing terms to amplify the song's visibility, creating a misleading perception of its popularity.
The documents filed were not a formal lawsuit, but a pre-emptive request to access Spotify and Universal's internal data to bolster his claims. However, responses from both companies described the allegations as groundless and highlighted that the music industry operates ethically regarding artist promotion.
Experts expressed skepticism over the case's potential for trial, with some suggesting it was a strategic move by Drake to extract information from Universal to potentially build a stronger legal case in the future. They highlighted that the publicity surrounding the legal disputes may inadvertently draw more attention to the lyrics that Drake disputes, potentially backfiring and increasing the streaming numbers of Lamar’s song.
