not like us

Wack 100 Blames Drake’s UMG Lawsuit On “Jealousy” Over “GNX” Success

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Wack 100 says that jealousy is the reason Drake is taking legal action against Universal Music Group and Spotify over the success of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” diss track. He ranted about the Toronto rapper’s pre-action petition on social media on Monday night. In doing so, he brought up reports that Lamar’s new album, GNX, is dominating the streaming charts.

Wack began by suggesting that, even if Drake’s allegations are true, the lawsuit could backfire on him if labels have been using the same strategy with his own music. “Either way it go, he let his emotions cloud his thoughts so bad to where he’s just swinging in the air and screaming,” Wack argued in a clip circulating online. “I’ma be real: I think when he seen Kendrick Lamar controlling the first twelve slots of Apple, I think it sent him somewhere.”

Read More: Kendrick Lamar “Squabble Up” Music Video: 8 Key References You May Have Missed

Drake Attends Heat-Hawks’ NBA Game

Jan 14, 2022; Miami, Florida. USA; Canadian rapper Drake attends the game between the Miami Heat and the Atlanta Hawks at FTX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports via Imagn Images.

Drake filed the petition in Manhattan court on Monday, alleging that UMG and Spotify worked together to artificially boost the popularity of Kendrick Lamar’s viral diss track, “Not Like Us.” He is accusing UMG of using bots and payola, among other methods in what he describes as an “illegal” scheme. “UMG did not rely on chance, or even ordinary business practices,” lawyers for Drake’s company, Frozen Moments LLC, wrote in the filing. “It instead launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves.” They accuse UMG of violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act as well as breaking New York state law by using deceptive business practices and false advertising.

Wack 100 Weighs In On Drake’s UMG Lawsuit

Lamar dropped GNX as his sixth studio album by surprise for fans on Friday afternoon. Across the tracklist, he collaborates with Dody6, Roddy Ricch, Siete7x, SZA, and YoungThreat, among others. On the production side, he worked with Sounwave, Jack Antonoff, Mustard, and more. Check out Wack 100’s full thoughts on Drake’s UMG lawsuit below.

Read More: Kendrick Lamar “wacced out murals” Lyric Breakdown

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Drake Sues UMG For Defamation Over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us”

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Drake has made a second legal filing against Universal Music Group, accusing the company of defamation over the release of Kendrick Lamar’s hit diss track, “Not Like Us.” He made the pre-action filing in a Texas court, late Monday, claiming UMG could have prevented the release of the song “falsely accusing him of being a sex offender.” The move comes after he filed a similar pre-action petition in New York, earlier in the day, accusing the company and Spotify of allegedly artificially boosting Lamar’s diss track.

“UMG … could have refused to release or distribute the song or required the offending material to be edited and/or removed,” Drake’s lawyers wrote, as caught by Billboard. “But UMG chose to do the opposite. UMG designed, financed and then executed a plan to turn ‘Not Like Us’ into a viral mega-hit with the intent of using the spectacle of harm to Drake and his businesses to drive consumer hysteria and, of course, massive revenues. That plan succeeded, likely beyond UMG’s wildest expectations.”

Read More: Drake Hits UMG & Spotify With Bombshell Allegations Over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” Streams

Drake Performs During “Lil Baby & Friends Birthday Celebration Concert”

ATLANTA, GA – DECEMBER 9: Rapper Drake performs onstage during “Lil Baby & Friends Birthday Celebration Concert” at State Farm Arena on December 9, 2022, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Prince Williams/Wireimage)

The new filing also accuses UMG of funneling payments to iHeartRadio as part of a “pay-to-play scheme,” in exchange for promoting the song on radio. Also similar to the first lawsuit, Lamar, himself, is not listed as a respondent in the filing and is not personally accused of wrongdoing. On “Not Like Us,” he raps, “Certified Lover Boy? Certified pedophiles,” in reference to Drake.

UMG responded to the first filing on Monday night, writing in a statement: “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.” Be on the lookout for further updates in the case on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: Kendrick Lamar “wacced out murals” Lyric Breakdown

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DJ Akademiks Explains How Drake’s UMG Lawsuit Could Affect His PartyNextDoor Collab Album

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DJ Akademiks says fans shouldn’t expect Drake and PartyNextDoor’s collaborative album to arrive before the conclusion of the Toronto rapper’s impending lawsuit against Universal Music Group and Spotify. He discussed Drake’s legal case over UMG and Spotify’s alleged boosting of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” during a live stream on Monday night.

Akademiks began by theorizing that Drake and Party’s collaborative album is already done. “Whatever he signs, this will be the first project off of it,” he said. From there, he argued that Drake’s negotiations must have been stalling, but criticized his decision to take legal action so soon after the release of Kendrick Lamar’s new album, GNX. “I still think he should’ve waited two weeks,” he said. “You can’t contribute to anything that Kendrick got going on because if I’m Kendrick’s team, I’m gonna use this too. And I’m gonna milk it.”

Read More: Drake Hits UMG & Spotify With Bombshell Allegations Over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” Streams

Drake Poses With PartyNextDoor In New York City

NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 23: (L-R) PartyNextDoor and Drake attend Party Next Door Live at S.O.B.’s on October 23, 2014, in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

Drake filed the “pre-action” petition in Manhattan court on Monday, alleging that UMG and Spotify worked together to artificially boost the popularity of Kendrick Lamar’s viral diss track, “Not Like Us.” He is accusing UMG of using bots and payola to do so. “UMG did not rely on chance, or even ordinary business practices,” lawyers for Drake’s company wrote. “It instead launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves.” They accuse the company of violating the RICO Act as well as using deceptive business practices and false advertising.

DJ Akademiks Weighs In On Drake’s New Lawsuit

Drake has been teasing the release of a collaborative album with PartyNextDoor for months now. Prior to the new lawsuit, it was expected to drop at some point before the end of the year. Check out DJ Akademiks’ stance on Drake’s legal action against UMG and Spotify below.

Read More: Kendrick Lamar “wacced out murals” Lyric Breakdown

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Drake Alleges “NFR Podcast” Was Paid To Cover Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us”

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The “lawsuit” from Drake toward Universal Music Group and Spotify yesterday has the internet eviscerating him. People are calling this the definition of spiraling and using the “fragile opp” label against him. In fact, hip-hop fixtures such as Charlamagne tha God, Mustard, and TDE Punch even got in on the action. Similar comments are coming out in droves today as well, thanks to a particular namedrop in the legal documents. A Twitter account, King Wow, sifted through and noticed that the NFR Podcast was allegedly paid to “promote “Not Like Us” and its Video without disclosing the payment.”

It further alleges, “As part of its deal with UMG, the NFR Podcast published podcast episodes, tweets, and other content publicly about the Song. And in a sea-change for UMG’s internal policy, UMG removed the Song’s copyright restrictions on YouTube and Twitch, thereby “whitelisting” the Song (for the first time in UMG history), which further incentivized influencers to spread the Song.” As we said, the comments are just as ruthless as they were when the initial news broke. For example, one Twitter user writes, “Fragile OPPS activity.”

Read More: Drake’s “Not Like Us” Allegations: Key Piece Of Evidence Already Debunked

The Internet Is Split On Drake’s Decision To Go After NFR Podcast

If you have never tuned into any of the NFR Podcast‘s videos or content of any kind, their page is run by Canadians Lu Guerini and Anthony D’Aliesio. For the most part, they support a lot of Drake’s music and the things he’s done throughout his career. Both are also huge fans of Kendrick Lamar’s. However, still seeing their platform in this “pre-action” petition is quite a shocking turn of events.

As it stands, though, Drake’s documents are swinging for the fences. He accuses UMG and Spotify of violating the RICO Act, as well as deceptive business practices and false advertising. Overall, he also alleges that both companies were using an “illegal” scheme to boost streams and other content surrounding “Not Like Us.” Specifically, Drake’s documents allege that UMG has been using bots, payola, and more to carry this out.

Read More: Kendrick Lamar “wacced out murals” Lyric Breakdown

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Drake’s Alleged Motivations Behind “Not Like Us” Lawsuit Revealed

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The true motivation behind Drake taking legal action against Universal Music Group and Spotify allegedly revolves around negotiations he’s currently involved in with his label, according to Loren Lorosa. Taking to social media on Monday night, she reported that sources close to the Toronto rapper’s camp have told her they believe UMG is trying to use the success of “Not Like Us” to bury him.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Lorosa wrote: “Drake’s side decided to file this suit not just because of the ‘Not Like Us’ song. It’s bigger than just the song which is why Drake is suing the label and NOT Kendrick directly. From what I’m told .. Drake allegedly feels as if his label UMG.. is using money he’s made them to fund Kendrick Lamar’s song burying him amidst a sensitive label negotiation he’s currently in. Drake feels like the label is allegedly not protecting a major asset.. (him) which is conveniently timed around the time he’s in negotiations for a new deal with the label. From what I’m told.. Drakes feeling like .. If I was a taylor swift a lot of things would not of happened in this whole Drake and Kendrick back and forth.”

Read More: Drake Hits UMG & Spotify With Bombshell Allegations Over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” Streams

Drake Attends Thunder-Rockets NBA Game

Dec 1, 2021; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Rapper, singer, and actor Drake watches the Oklahoma. City Thunder take on the Houston Rockets during the second half of an Oklahoma City Thunder game at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports © Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Drake filed the petition in Manhattan court on Monday, alleging that UMG and Spotify worked together to artificially boost the popularity of Kendrick Lamar’s viral diss track, “Not Like Us.” He is accusing UMG of using bots and payola, among other methods in what he describes as an “illegal” scheme. “UMG did not rely on chance, or even ordinary business practices,” his lawyers wrote. “It instead launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves.”

Loren Lorosa Explains Drake’s Intentions

The petition accuses UMG of violating the RICO Act as well as using deceptive business practices and false advertising. His decision to file has been going viral on social media amid his feud with Kendrick Lamar. Check out Loren Lorosa’s report about Drake’s legal action below. Be on the lookout for further updates on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: Kendrick Lamar “wacced out murals” Lyric Breakdown

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Drake’s “Not Like Us” Allegations: Key Piece Of Evidence Already Debunked

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A key piece of evidence in Drake’s bombshell petition against Universal Music Group and Spotify has already allegedly been debunked on social media. In his “pre-action” petition filing, Drake, through his company, Frozen Moments LLC, brought up “online sources” showing that Apple’s Siri would direct users to Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” when they requested “Certified Loverboy.” HipHopDX’s Jeremy Hecht, who previously shared one of the viral videos pointing that out, has since clarified that this was only a glitch due to lyric recognition that Siri implements for users who may not remember a song’s title. “Certified Lover Boy? Certified pedophiles,” Lamar raps on the diss track.

The filing alleges: “UMG paid, or approved payments to, Apple Inc. to have its voice-activated digital assistant ‘Siri’ purposely misdirect users to ‘Not Like Us.’ Online sources reported that when users asked Siri to play the album ‘Certified Loverboy’ by recording artist Aubrey Drake Graham d/b/a Drake, Siri instead played ‘Not Like Us,’ which contains the lyric ‘certified pedophile,’ an allegation against Drake.”

Read More: Drake Hits UMG & Spotify With Bombshell Allegations Over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” Streams

Kendrick Lamar Performs At The Pop Out

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 19: Kendrick Lamar performs onstage during The Pop Out – Ken & Friends Presented by pgLang and Free Lunch at The Kia Forum on June 19, 2024 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Timothy Norris/Getty Images for pgLang, Amazon Music, & Free Lunch)

Drake filed the petition in Manhattan court on Monday, alleging that UMG and Spotify worked together to artificially boost the popularity of Kendrick Lamar’s viral diss track, “Not Like Us.” He is accusing UMG of using bots and payola, among other methods in what he describes as an “illegal” scheme. “UMG did not rely on chance, or even ordinary business practices,” lawyers for Drake’s company wrote. “It instead launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves.”

One Of Drake’s Allegations Debunked

They are accusing UMG of violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act as well as using deceptive business practices and false advertising. Check out Jeremy Hecht’s response to being cited in Drake’s petition against UMG and Spotify below.

Read More: Kendrick Lamar “wacced out murals” Lyric Breakdown

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UMG Has Reportedly Issued A Scathing Response To Drake’s Pay-For-Play In Favor Of Kendrick Lamar Lawsuit

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Today (November 25) Drake reportedly filed a groundbreaking lawsuit against UMG (Universal Music Group). In the suit, Drake accused UMG of colluding with his foe Kendrick Lamar during their song-for-song rap battle.

To be specific, Drake’s lawsuit claimed UMG paid streaming platform Spotify to “employed bots and payola schemes to inflate the numbers” of Kendrick Lamar’s chart-topping diss “Not Like Us.” Now, UMG is clapping back. According to Variety, a representative for the label giant provided a statement to the outlet slamming the accusation.

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

However, Drake’s initial compliment suggested that paying streaming platforms is a common practice at UMG. “UMG appears to have used similar tactics with other streaming services,” read Drake’s lawsuit. “On information and belief, UMG paid, or approved payments to, Apple Inc. to have its voice-activated digital assistant ‘Siri’ purposely misdirect users to ‘Not Like Us.’ UMG did not rely on chance, or even ordinary business practices. It instead launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves.”

Spotify has not released a public statement regarding the accusations.

Drake Accuses Universal Music Group and Spotify of “Pay for Play” Scheme to Boost “Not Like Us” Numbers

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Drake Accuses Universal Music Group and Spotify of Pay for Play Scheme to Boost Not Like Us Numbers

Kendrick Lamar‘s “Not Like Us” was undoubtedly one of the hottest songs of the summer….or was it? While the diss track towards Drake topped charts around the world, Drake believes that the song isn’t as big of a hit as the numbers make it out to be, accusing Universal Music Group (UMG) and Spotify of conspiracy to artificially inflate the popularity of the song (and thus influence its position on the charts).

Drake’s Frozen Moments LLC filed a motion on Monday, November 25, in Manhattan court, accuding UMG of partaking in a series of illegal activities involving bots, payola and other methods to boost “Not Like Us.” The motion also accuses UMG of paying radio stations to play and promote the song.

The motion alleges deceptive business practices and false advertising under New York state law as well as violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), the act targeting organized crime by prosecuting activities involving patterns of criminal enterprise. The motion is not yet a lawsuit, but rather a “pre-action” petition, which is the procedure by with information is gathered to determine if a lawsuit is warranted.

Drake’s motion also points out that this would not be the first time UMG has engaged in such practices. In 2006, UMG was forced to pay over $12 million to settle a payola case stemming from bribes made to radio stations to play their artists’ songs more than others.

Neither UMG nor Spotify have publicly commented as of Monday afternoon.

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Drake Has Filed A Lawsuit Accusing UMG Of Colluding With Kendrick Lamar Against Him

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Drake doesn’t think the success of “Not Like Us” was totally organic. Months after Kendrick Lamar’s Mustard-produced diss track dominated the charts and utterly derailed Drake’s plans for 2024 — which he was supposed to take off, anyway — Drake has filed a complaint in Manhattan court, claiming that the song’s streaming success was the result of collusion between Universal Music Group and Kendrick at his expense. The suit alleges UMG violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and New York state laws against deceptive business practices and false advertising in the process.

Frozen Moments LLC, Drake’s corporate entity filed the suit today, arguing that UMG — which represents both rappers through licensing agreements — employed bots and payola schemes to inflate the numbers for “Not Like Us.” According to Frozen Moments attorneys, UMG “paid” Spotify — by charging “30 percent less than its usual licensing rates” — to recommend “Not Like Us” to users who weren’t even searching for it (or even similar songs), and did the same with Apple, so listeners requesting Drake songs via Siri would instead hear “Not Like Us.” In order to hide these practices, UMG supposedly fired employees perceived as loyal to Drake.

While it’s unclear why UMG would favor Kendrick Lamar over Drake, the roots of Drake’s dispute appear to stem from legit consumer complaints about DSPs pushing popular songs to listeners who don’t even want them, such as Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso,” which received pushback for appearing on auto-generated Spotify playlists even after fans took steps to stop the app doing so. However, opening that particular can of worms might not be to Drake’s benefit, even if he thinks it’ll gain him some vindication after waving the white flag in his war of words against the Compton prophet.

Drake Hits UMG & Spotify With Bombshell Allegations Over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” Streams

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Drake is taking legal action against Universal Music Group and Spotify with allegations that the two companies worked together to artificially boost the popularity of Kendrick Lamar’s viral diss track, “Not Like Us.” Through his company, Frozen Moments LLC, the Toronto rapper is accusing UMG of using bots and payola, among other methods in what he describes as an “illegal” scheme. According to Billboard, the filing doesn’t constitute a lawsuit, but instead a “pre-action” petition.

Read More: Drake Reportedly Laughed The First Time He Heard This “Not Like Us” Bar

This story is being updated.

Read More: Drake Maintains Most-Streamed Rapper Title Despite Kendrick Lamar’s Success

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