Drake’s Frozen Moments LLC Accuses Universal of Artificially Boosting Kendrick Lamar’s Diss Track Streams: Legal Action Initiated

Drake has launched legal action against Universal Music accusing the label of artificially boosting streams of Kendrick Lamar’s diss track against him, Not Like Us.

In papers filed in New York, Drake’s company, Frozen Moments LLC, accused Universal and the streaming giant Spotify of engaging in an illegal ”scheme” involving bots, payola and other methods to promote Lamar’s song.

Universal Music ”did not rely on chance,” Drake’s lawyers alleged. “It instead launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves.”

A spokesperson for Universal called the claims “offensive and untrue”, adding that “fans choose the music they want to hear”.

Spotify and Lamar have yet to respond.

The petition is not a full lawsuit but a so-called “pre-action petition”, under which Drake’s lawyers can ask the court to order Universal and Spotify to preserve all relevant documents and information, ahead of future legal action.

The BBC understands the action is principally aimed at Universal, with Spotify named in the belief it may have information that would be relevant to a lawsuit.

Not Like Us was widely seen as the decisive blow in an escalating rap beef between Drake and Lamar earlier this year.

Drake’s court filing highlights the song’s runaway success – 96 million streams in seven days, number one in the US charts, and a top 10 radio hit – but suggests those achievements were artificially inflated.

His lawyers claim that Universal “conspired with and paid currently unknown parties” to “artificially” boost the prominence of Not Like Us.

They allege that the label cut its royalty rates for the song by 30%, in exchange for Spotify recommending it to users.

The filing also cites supposed claims from a “whistleblower” on a podcast, who said they were paid $2,500 to set up software ”bots” that would stream the song on repeat, turning it into “a crazy hit”.

The effort spread to other streaming services, Drake’s lawyers allege, referencing online reports that fans who asked Apple’s voice assistant to play Drake’s album Certified Loverboy were instead delivered Not Like Us.

The legal filing is a surprising coda to the musicians’ feud, but it also represents a rift between Drake and Universal – the label that has represented him for his entire career.

In court documents, the star’s lawyers say he tried to address these allegations in private but that the label has “no interest in taking responsibility for its misconduct.”