Courts

Drake Files RICO Case Against His Own Record Label After Being Musically Curb Stomped By Pulitzer Winning West Coast Rapper

‘The audience not dumb. Shape the story how you want -- hey Drake, they're not slow.’ - Kendrick Lamar

By Chris Williams on November 26, 2024 1:09 pm

Silhouette of gavel shadowRemember when I said that Drake’s loss against Kendrick was so overwhelming that the only recourse he had left was to take him to court for defamation? Turns out, I was only half right. Drake is going to court, but if you thought the only RICO accusations involving a major rapper would be against Young Thug, think again! The disgraced gambling advertiser is suing his record label (Universal Music Group) and Spotify because “Not Like Us” was too well received by the public. NPR has coverage:

Drake has filed a petition against Spotify and Universal Music Group, accusing the companies of conspiring to inflate the streaming and radio numbers of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” amid the rappers’ months long feud.

Drake says in the petition, filed in the New York court system, that UMG paid influencers, radio stations and others to promote the song and use bots to increase the song’s popularity.

He references the companies’ multi-year licensing agreement, and says they have “a long-standing, symbiotic business relationship” in which UMG charged Spotify a licensing fee 30% less than usual for “Not Like Us.” In exchange, Spotify frequently recommended the song to users, he says.

Drake is no stranger to the notion that a music company and streaming service can artificially elevate and push the work of an artist:

But things seem different with Kendrick. “Not Like Us” could have just been a wildly popular song that was played everywhere and by everyone:

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While it’s a little early to speak on the legal merits of Drake’s accusations, there’s a general understanding that Drake’s lawsuit is about as far from hip-hop as it gets:

This is the tamest way to put things. Others have been far more… creative with their disappointment. Some go for the easy tee-hee:

Others delve a little deeper and question Drake’s interesting triaging of what issues to tackle:

The most unfortunate thing about all of this? Drake spent weeks goading Kendrick to respond. It is unclear if anyone in Drake’s camp warned him that getting into a word fight with a Pulitzer Prize winner didn’t bode well, but the consequences became very clear, very quickly. Once Kendrick did, the ensuing records — “Meet The Grahams,” specifically — were some of the most haunting dissections of an opponent the genre has seen in a decades. Even if Drake ultimately wins in the court of law, the court of public opinion says otherwise.

Nothing is gonna be the same all right. Ball up top.

Meanwhile, a second Drake lawsuit recently hit the courtroom, and this time he’s addressing the pedophilia allegations. Billboard has coverage:

Drake has launched a second bombshell legal action against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” accusing the music giant of defamation and claiming it could have halted the release of a song “falsely accusing him of being a sex offender.”

Better late than never, but who in their right mind wouldn’t lead with “Hey, stop saying I diddle kids” before accusations of inflated plays? Do better, 6 God.

Drake Accuses Universal Music Group And Spotify Of Unfairly Promoting Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ [NPR]
Drake Files Second Action Against UMG, Alleging Defamation Over Kendrick Lamar’s ‘False’ Song [Billboard]

Earlier: Drake Really Has One Option Left Against Kendrick If He Wants To Win

Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s.  He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at [email protected] and by tweet at @WritesForRent.