KARAH RUCKER: Rapper Drake is taking legal action against record label Universal Music Group and streaming app Spotify, after claiming both companies unfairly promoted his rival, Kendrick Lamar, during a public spat earlier this year

Lawyers representing Drake allege the companies illegally manipulated and artificially inflated streaming numbers for Kendrick Lamar’s diss track about him, “Not Like Us.”

They cite online reports of Apple users being directed to “Not Like Us” when asking for Drake’s album, and an alleged whistleblower who said they were paid to set up bots to stream the song on a loop.

Drake’s company is not launching a full lawsuit yet, but filed an action in New York on Monday asking the companies to preserve documents in case a lawsuit moves forward.

Universal has record label deals with both Drake and Kendrick Lamar.

A spokesperson for Universal told multiple outlets that Drake’s allegations are “offensive and untrue,” and that quote, “fans choose the music they want to hear.”

Drake’s team also filed a second legal action on Tuesday in Texas, accusing Universal of taking similar actions with iHeartRadio.

But this filing also accuses the label of defamation for choosing to release the song.

Kendrick Lamar released the song in May, during a feud in which he and Drake traded new releases of songs insulting each other.

In “Not Like Us,” Lamar refers to Drake and members of his entourage as, quote, “certified pedophiles,” and implies Drake may be a sex offender himself.

Meanwhile, Kendrick Lamar, released a new album on Friday called “GNX.”

“Not Like Us” is nominated for four Grammy awards and Lamar is set to perform at the Super Bowl in February.

Despite taking action against Spotify, Drake still leads in their metric of average monthly streams – the Canadian rap star receives 73 million plays each month, while his rival at 63 million. 

For Straight Arrow News, I’m Karah Rucker.

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