Drake has now officially withdrawn his lawsuit against Universal Music Group and Spotify. The November 2024 petition had alleged that the two companies had inflated the popularity of Kendrick Lamar’s diss track Not Like Us using below-board practices. While this latest development suggests a private settlement may have been reached, a defamation case the Canadian rapper filed in Texas against UMG and iHeartMedia remains active.
On January 14, 2025, Frozen Moments LLC, on its behalf and that of Drake, officially dropped the lawsuit filed against UMG and Spotify. The withdrawal has been filed in the New York Supreme Court sans costs to any party.
The original lawsuit accused UMG and Spotify of inflating streams via bots and pay-to-play schemes for the diss track Not Like Us by Kendrick Lamar. Among them were accusations of unethical marketing practices, which both firms had denied, insisting that they were committed to transparency and integrity promotion of content.
The removal came after a critical meeting on the same day between representatives for Drake and those from UMG and Spotify. With no release of any official details, the timing has raised suspicions of a private settlement. Drake also hasn’t commented, neither have the representatives of the companies involved.
Although the New York case has been shelved, Drake’s defamation lawsuit against UMG and iHeartMedia in Texas remains a point of concern. Against Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us, the lawsuit was filed in Bexar County and is said to have falsely implicated Drake as a “certified pedophile” and for other criminal acts by using its lyrics.
Drake’s lawyers say the contents of the song are not only defamatory but were knowingly distributed by UMG and iHeartMedia. His team is looking at a host of other claims, including civil fraud and racketeering, but the main course here is defamation.
The case is still at an information-gathering stage, with both sides preparing for what could be a long legal battle. UMG has denied the allegations, repeating its ethical standards when it comes to content distribution.
With the New York petition withdrawn and no public statements from Drake, UGM, or Spotify, many questions remain open. As lawyers say, the settlement could be a private settlement that will prevent further litigation and potential reputational harm. Without confirmation, though, the true nature of the agreement remains a mystery.
These developments raise broader concerns about ethical practices within the music industry, particularly with respect to the promotion and distribution of content. The Alborg robots and pay-to-play schemes may not be proved as such, but they do raise beacons to greater transparency.
