Drake has dropped a legal case against Universal Music and Spotify, which accused the companies of conspiring to boost streams of Kendrick Lamar’s diss track Not Like Us.
Canadian star took action last Novemberalleging that music labels used bots, payola and other methods to promote Lamar’s song, which accused him of pedophilia.
“Not Like Us’ record-breaking expansion in streaming, sales and radio play was intentional and appears to have relied on improper and inappropriate business practices,” the court documents state.
However, on Tuesday, Drake’s lawyers voluntarily withdrew the pre-suit request, effectively ending the case.
According to court documents filed in New York, the star met with representatives from Spotify and Universal on Tuesday to discuss the case.
Spotify, which filed an objection, had no objection to the withdrawal and termination. Universal, which did not object, reserved its position.
A related casefiled against Universal and the iHeartRadio radio network in Texas, is still active.
Not Like Us was considered by many to be the decisive blow in the long-running feud between Drake and Lamar, which dates back to the early 2010s.
In the lyrics, Lamar states that Drake “loves the youth” and accuses him of using other, more credible rappers to boost his profile.
About 24 hours later, Drake responded with a song called The Heart Part 6, where he dismissed the allegations, saying, “I’ve never been with anybody younger.” He also claimed he gave Lamar “false” information through a double agent.
However, his follow-up failed to garner the same attention as Not Like Us, which debuted at number one on the US charts and attracted more than a billion streams on Spotify.
In going to court, Drake accused Universal – which distributes both his and Lamar’s music – of artificially inflating the number of songs.
He claimed in court documents that the record company licensed the song “at drastically reduced prices to Spotify” and used bots to stream the song, creating a “false impression that the song is more popular than it actually is.”
The papers were not a lawsuit, but a “pre-action petition,” in which Drake’s lawyers sought access to internal documents at Spotify and Universal that could support their case.
In a statement at the time, Universal told the BBC: “Proposal yes [the company] would do anything to undermine any of his artists is insulting and untrue.
“We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns. No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action filing can disguise the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.”
Spotify also responded that there is “no economic incentive for users to stream Not Like Us over any Drake track.”
The Swedish streaming company later filed an objection to Drake’s request, stating that it “should be denied.”
Damage to the reputation
Music industry experts were skeptical that the charges would ever go to trial.
Some suggested that Drake was using the court to tap Universal for information that could allow him to potentially sue for breach of contract and back out of the deal.
But entertainment lawyer Kevin Casini said the proposed legal action could do Drake’s reputation more harm than good.
The media coverage “really just serves to draw more attention to lyrics that Drake finds offensive or objectionable,” he told Rolling Stone magazine.
“And I think the number of streams for the song will only increase.”
