Drake accepts defeat over Kendrick Lamar’s diss track
Drake has accepted defeat after dropping his lawsuit against UMG and Spotify over Kendrick Lamar’s diss track, 'Not Like Us'.
Drake has withdrawn his legal petition against Spotify and Universal Music Group (UMG) after accusing them of inflating numbers for Kendrick Lamar’s diss track 'Not Like Us'.
In a filing on Tuesday, January 14, Drake’s company, Frozen Moments, officially ended its demand for pre-action disclosure of documents from both companies. Spotify, which had opposed the move, did not object to the withdrawal, while UMG reserved its position.
This all started in November 2024, when Drake accused UMG of using bots and payola to artificially boost the success of 'Not Like Us', a song that criticises him for cultural appropriation and more.
Drake claimed UMG slashed licensing rates on Spotify and manipulated data to make the track seem more popular.
When Drake first accused UMG of inflating numbers for Lamar’s diss track, UMG didn’t hold back.
In a statement shared with Variety, UMG called Drake’s allegations “offensive and untrue”, stating, “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.”
With Drake now dropping his legal bid, the truth remains: the success of 'Not Like Us' was all thanks to the fans and not foul play.
How did things get this far and messy though? Well, the iconic feud began in March 2024, after Lamar threw shade at Drake on Future and Metro Boomin’s 'Like That'.
The back-and-forth escalated into a diss track battle, with both artists releasing a string of songs that had social media in a frenzy.
Drake released songs like 'Push Ups', 'Taylor Made Freestyle' and 'Family Matters', while Lamar retaliated with 'Euphoria', '6:16 in LA' and 'Meet The Grahams'.
The beef ended unexpectedly when Lamar dropped 'Not Like Us', which quickly became the biggest hit of the year and the centrepiece of this music industry drama. This is the song that dubbed Lamar the winner and left Drake scrambling to defend his legacy as the greatest rapper alive.
Now, with the legal action behind him, fans are left wondering if the rivalry will shift back to where it started: the music.
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