Renowned Canadian musician, Drake, has initiated legal proceedings against Universal Music Group (UMG) and Spotify. Drake alleges that these entities conspired to artificially inflate the streaming numbers of Kendrick Lamar's diss track, titled 'Not Like Us', while concurrently undermining the performance of his own musical works.

On Monday, Drake's legal representatives, acting on behalf of his company Frozen Moments LLC, filed a petition with the New York Supreme Court. The petition accuses UMG and Spotify of engaging in illicit activities, including the utilization of bots, payola, and other dubious tactics, to elevate Lamar's track.

“UMG did not depend on chance or standard business practices,” asserted Drake’s legal team in the court documents. “Instead, it executed a strategy to manipulate and dominate the streaming platforms and radio airwaves.”

The lawsuit contends that the track, which garnered 96 million streams in just one week, reached the top of the U.S. charts and became a top 10 radio hit, was licensed to Spotify at a 30% discount in return for targeted promotion and user recommendations.

In a separate legal action filed in Texas, Drake also accused UMG of defamation, claiming the company knowingly distributed a song that made false allegations against him regarding pedophilia.

Drake asserted that ‘Not Like Us’ included defamatory statements, which UMG opted to release despite being aware of their inaccuracy.

In response, a representative for UMG characterized Drake’s claims as unfounded and offensive.

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

“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 and Kendrick Lamar are both prominent artists within the Universal Music Group (UMG) family, with Drake affiliated with Republic Records and Lamar with Interscope Records, both subsidiaries of the major music corporation.

The legal dispute arose against a backdrop of ongoing rivalry between the two artists, characterized by subtle jabs in their songs.

Nonetheless, the release of ‘Not Like Us’ intensified their conflict, drawing significant industry figures such as UMG and Spotify into the fray.