After filing a petition against Universal Music Group (UMG) and Spotify over an alleged conspiracy to boost Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” diss, Drake has now withdrawn his legal pre-action as all parties (petitioner and respondents) sat down to mediate.
As we previously shared, Drake first sued his and K.Dot’s label UMG and music streaming platform Spotify about two months ago.
On November 25, 2024, in a Manhattan court, Drake filed his first petition against UMG and Spotify, accusing them of orchestrating a “scheme” utilizing bots, payola, and various tactics to make Lamar’s track go viral all across the internet. He and his legal team claimed, “UMG did not rely on chance, or even ordinary business practices. It instead launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves.”
UMG was charged with breaching the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and claimed they engaged in misleading business practices and false advertising in violation of New York state regulations. As for Spotify, Drake alleged they used bots to increase streams for K.Dot’s diss.
The following day, November 26, 2024, it was reported that Drake filed a second petition against UMG, and also iHeartRadio, accusing them of defamation. The second filing attacked UMG and iHR for not putting a stop to the release and airplay of Kendrick Lamar’s song, which “falsely accuses [Drake] of being a sex offender.”
On December 20, Spotify fired back at the claims with their own filing, opposing the accusations and maintaining their innocence in the drama. UMG has yet to file any legal documents.
Things have since come to an end, in the courts, as of January 14, 2025, when Drake filed to withdraw his petition, specifically his order to show cause, and to discontinue proceedings.
In the filing, Drake’s legal team wrote, “[We] hereby withdraw the Order to Show Cause seeking pre-action disclosure and preservation of certain documents and communications from Respondent UMG RECORDINGS, INC. and pre-action disclosure of certain documents and communications from Respondent SPOTIFY USA, INC., with exhibits originally filed in New York Supreme Court on November 25, 2024.”
The filing continued to read, “PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that Petitioner hereby voluntarily discontinues this special proceeding as to all Respondents without costs to any party. Plaintiffs met and conferred with Respondents on January 14, 2025, regarding this filing. Respondent Spotify, which has filed an opposition to the Order to Show Cause, responded that Spotify has no objection to the withdrawal and discontinuance. Respondent UMG, which has not yet filed an opposition to the Order to Show Cause, has reserved its position.”
#Socialites, be sure to check out the post below, then leave us your thoughts in a comment after!
