Drake alleges that Universal Music Group (UMG) and Spotify artificially manipulated streaming numbers for Kendrick Lamar's diss track "Not Like Us," according to a recent court filing.

Photo Credit: Drake by GabboT / CC by 2.0

Through his company Frozen Moments LLC, Drake filed a petition in New York Court demanding evidence preservation and information disclosure for a potential lawsuit against UMG. The filing alleges that UMG orchestrated a campaign to artificially boost "Not Like Us" through:

• Use of streaming bots
• Pay-to-play agreements
• Special licensing deals with Spotify
• Termination of employees loyal to Drake to conceal these activities

"Not Like Us," released in May, has garnered over 900 million Spotify plays and is widely considered a decisive moment in the ongoing Drake-Kendrick feud. The track contains direct personal attacks against Drake, including controversial lyrics about his personal life.

UMG strongly denies these allegations, stating they are "offensive and untrue" and that they maintain "the highest ethical practices in marketing and promotional campaigns." The company asserts that the track's popularity is solely due to genuine fan engagement.

Spotify has not directly responded to these allegations but has previously stated they "invest heavily in automated and manual reviews to prevent, detect, and mitigate the impact of artificial streaming" on their platform.

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