Drake Withdraws Legal Action Against Universal and Spotify Over Kendrick Lamar Controversy

The Canadian rapper has decided to drop his legal claims linked to accusations of inflated streaming numbers on Kendrick Lamar's song, though he continues a separate case against Universal and iHeartRadio.

Drake has officially ended his legal battle against Universal Music and Spotify, which revolved around accusations that the companies conspired to boost the streams of Kendrick Lamar's controversial diss track, "Not Like Us." Initially filing the case in November, Drake claimed that the music giants employed bots, payola, and other dubious methods to inflate the song's numbers, which he argued resulted in damaging allegations made by Lamar against him.

Court documents cited claims of "irregular and inappropriate business practices" that facilitated what Drake deemed a manufactured success for the track, which notably includes a provocative allegation pertaining to paedophilia. However, on Tuesday, Drake's legal team opted to withdraw their pre-action documents, effectively putting an end to this particular challenge. Following a meeting with representatives from both Spotify and Universal, the companies had no objections to the withdrawal.

Despite the resolution of this case in New York, a related lawsuit against Universal and iHeartRadio remains active in Texas. "Not Like Us" has emerged as a focal point of the ongoing rivalry between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, dating back over a decade. The song's lyrics insinuate that Drake has inappropriate preferences, to which he countered with a track titled "The Heart Part 6," explicitly denying all allegations while suggesting Lamar received misinformation.

While Drake's new track failed to garner the acclaim achieved by "Not Like Us," which debuted at number one on the US charts and reached over one billion streams on Spotify, the legal disputes have drawn attention to both artists. Universal has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, emphasizing its ethical marketing practices, while Spotify asserted that there was no financial incentive for listeners to prioritize "Not Like Us" over Drake's work.

Experts in the music industry expressed doubt that the case would proceed to trial, with opinions suggesting that Drake may have intended to leverage the legal process to acquire information useful for other potential legal claims. However, there are concerns this approach could inadvertently damage his reputation even further, as increased media coverage may inadvertently boost streaming numbers for Lamar's song.