Drake has recently made serious accusations against Universal Music Group (UMG). In a Monday filing, his company Frozen Moments claimed that UMG was involved in a "scheme" with bots and payola during the feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar. The filing, which is a "pre-action disclosure" for information, alleges that UMG did not rely on chance or ordinary business practices but instead launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves.

Accusations Against UMG

The filing claims that UMG "conspired with and paid currently unknown parties" to "artificially inflate" the spread of Kendrick Lamar's diss track "Not Like Us." It cites supposed claims from a "whistleblower" on a podcast who said they were paid to boost the song once it was released. Drake's attorneys also write that Lamar's label paid social media influencers to "promote and endorse" the song without "disclosing the payment." Additionally, the petition alleges that UMG paid Apple to have Siri "purposely misdirect users" to the Drake diss track.

Drake's company attorneys wrote in the pre-action filed Monday that UMG engaged in false advertisement, deceptive business practices, and violated the RICO Act. They stated that UMG did not act by chance but instead deliberately manipulated the streaming and airwaves. Despite the accusations about Spotify, Drake has 10 million more monthly listeners on the platform than Lamar even after the release of GNX. Lamar is the 23rd most-streamed artist on the platform, 10 spots behind Drake who is at 13.

The "whistleblower" described Spotify as the easiest platform "to bot" because it does not have certain security measures for bot protection. On May 6, 2024, an individual affiliated with Interscope sent the whistleblower a payment of $2,500 via Zelle. A rep for Spotify did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone's request for comment. A spokesman for UMG denied Drake's allegations, stating that the suggestion that UMG would undermine its artists is offensive and untrue. UMG employs the highest ethical practices in its marketing and promotional campaigns.

Aftermath of the Allegations

The legal filing comes just days after Lamar released his "Not Like Us" follow-up album, GNX, on Friday. He also dropped the video for "Squabble Up" on Monday. (The diss track is up for numerous Grammys.) Just on Friday, UMG responded to Fred Durst's fraud lawsuit, stating that the Limp Bizkit frontman's allegations against the company were "based on a fallacy" and asking for the case to be tossed. Durst originally claimed that the record company had "designed and implemented royalty software and systems that were deliberately designed to conceal artists' royalties and keep those profits for itself."