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Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s rap beef was a monumental moment in hip-hop. But the “Family Matters” rapper’s upcoming legal battle with UMG and Spotify is gearing up to be an industry shifter.
On December 20, Spotify slammed Drake’s accusations of “artificially inflating” the popularity of Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us” with the use of bots and colluding with UMG in a payola scheme. Now, Drake’s legal team is firing back.
In a statement shared with USA Today, a representative of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP doubled down on the claims made in Drake’s legal filing.
“It is not surprising that Spotify is trying to distance themselves from UMG’s allegedly manipulative practices to artificially inflate streaming numbers on behalf of one of its other artists,” said the rep. “If Spotify and UMG have nothing to hide then they should be perfectly fine complying with this basic discovery request.”
Although Spotify has requested that the “false” and “speculative” inquiry be dismissed, it appears Drake’s legal team is ready to go the distance in an attempt to prove their allegations.
Just as Spotify denied Drake’s accusation, so has UMG. “The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue,” said a representative for the label. “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.”
All eyes are on this ongoing legal matter.