In a surprising turn of events, Drake has decided to drop his legal dispute with Universal Music and Spotify, which involved claims that the two companies conspired to inflate streaming numbers for Kendrick Lamar's controversial diss track "Not Like Us." The Canadian rapper initially filed a pre-action petition last November accusing the companies of promoting the track, which allegedly insinuated paedophilia, through dubious methods including bots and payola.
Drake's lawyers recently withdrew the initial filing without resistance from Spotify and while Universal reserved its position. On the day of the withdrawal, Drake held discussions with representatives from both companies regarding the claims.
Despite the dismissal of the case, another legal battle is still ongoing in Texas between Drake and Universal, alongside iHeartRadio. The track "Not Like Us" is perceived as a significant escalation in the ongoing feud between Drake and Lamar, stretching back to the mid-2010s, with Lamar confronting Drake in his lyrics by suggesting he has inappropriate preferences and relies on collaborations for acclaim.
In response, Drake released "The Heart Part 6," refuting the accusations and asserting he had provided Lamar with misleading information. However, his song did not garner the attention that "Not Like Us" received, which rocketed to the top of the US charts and amassed over a billion streams on Spotify.
Documents filed by Drake claimed that Universal unfairly boosted the song's visibility through lower licensing rates to Spotify and the utilization of automated streaming to misrepresent its popularity. Both Universal and Spotify have firmly denied any wrongdoing, with Universal labeling Drake's claims as offensive and Spotify suggesting there was no clear financial motive for the streaming discrepancies.
Industry experts expressed skepticism about the likelihood of the accusations progressing to trial, with some analysts positing that Drake's litigation strategy may have been an attempt to extract information from Universal for potential future contractual disputes. Entertainment lawyer Kevin Casini remarked that this legal action could inadvertently harm Drake’s public image by increasing focus on the very lyrics he finds objectionable.
Overall, while Drake's immediate legal challenge has concluded, the implications of his feud with Kendrick Lamar and the ongoing legal skirmish with Universal Music may have lingering effects in the music industry.
