Drake Sues UMG Over Alleged Payola And Bots Boosting Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’

Drake has filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG), alleging unethical practices that helped propel Kendrick Lamar’s hit song Not Like Us to massive success.

According to court documents obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, Drake claims that UMG engaged in payola and used bots to inflate streams and radio airplay for the track, significantly hurting his own career.

Drake accuses UMG of making secret payments to platforms, including iHeartRadio, to ensure heavy promotion of Not Like Us, a practice prohibited by the FCC. In addition, he claims bots were used to generate 30 million Spotify streams by May 2024, while social media influencers were paid to promote the song using unlimited copyright access. These allegations, Drake says, come from a whistleblower within UMG.

The lawsuit aims to reveal details about UMG’s payment channel methods, with Drake planning to file a civil fraud and racketeering lawsuit against the firm and its business partners. Drake also cites potential grounds for defamation, referring to a lyric in Not Like Us in which Lamar labels him a “certified pedophile.” Despite UMG also being Drake’s distributor, the legal battle signals heightened tensions between the artist and label.