Drake has rolled out an inventory of streamers and content material creators that he claims had the inexperienced gentle from Common Music Group to monetize their “Not Like Us” reactions. Amongst these named are Kai Cenat.
As well as, Cenat, Zias, NoLifeShaq, RDC Gaming, and the CartierFamily are all listed as having obtained approval from UMG.
Drake alleges within the lawsuit that UMG permitted content material creators akin to Kai Cenat, Zias, NoLifeShaq, RDC Gaming, and CartierFamily to monetize reactions to “Not Like Us” with out imposing copyright claims. He claims this lack of enforcement enabled the unfold of defamatory… pic.twitter.com/FZzip1QrTf
— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) January 15, 2025
The accusations are a part of a go well with from Drake to Common Music Group for defamation. The case was filed in New York Metropolis federal courtroom Wednesday morning, accusing UMG of spreading “false and malicious narrative.”
In accordance with TMZ Hip-Hop, the go well with addresses Common releasing and selling Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” The go well with claims the label was properly conscious of Lamar’s lyrics, photographs within the music video, and the way allegations of Drake being a pedophile had been each false and harmful.
The lawsuit referred to as “Not Like Us” a “gold mine” for the label, constructed on “inflammatory and stunning allegations.” However why? Drake believes that UMG operated towards his model to influence future contract negotiations.
The go well with doubles down in bot utilization, stating the corporate used bot receipts to extend the streams by at the least 30 million. Moreover, the go well with accuses UMG of collaborating in “pay for play” with a radio promotion firm. The go well with states UMG referred to as the music a “chart-topper,” however the knowledge behind it was fraudulent.
Drake additionally highlights the upcoming Tremendous Bowl efficiency, stating the label helped Lamar get the job to diss him at “one of the important (and seen) cultural occasions of the 12 months.”
However what about Kendrick particularly? The lawsuit highlights: “This lawsuit will not be in regards to the artist who created ‘Not Like Us.’ It’s, as a substitute, completely about UMG, the music firm that determined to publish, promote, exploit, and monetize.”
Drake said the music put him at risk, highlighting shootings outdoors his Toronto dwelling.
Drake’s new lawsuit towards UMG over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us”:
“It was simply three days after UMG initially revealed the Recording and Picture that Drake was focused at his Toronto home by armed intruders within the 2024 equal of ‘Pizzagate.'”https://t.co/EVhVle8tsx pic.twitter.com/fMwDvoWQLp
— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) January 15, 2025
Earlier at the moment, information broke about Drake ending one pursuit of authorized motion towards Common Music Group and Spotify over allegedly amplifying Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” streams.
Salute to Bryson “Growth” Paul who picked the inside track of Drizzy’s Frozen Moments, LLC submitting a withdrawal order of petition with the New York Supreme Courtroom on Jan. 14. This concludes the present authorized chapter with no monetary obligations to both social gathering.
There was no opposition to the withdrawal order type Spotify. Common “reserved its place on the matter.”
The brand new authorized submitting reads:
“Please take discover that petitioner and movant Frozen Moments, LLC, by its attorneys Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, hereby withdraws its order to indicate trigger searching for pre-action disclosure and preservation of sure paperwork and communications from respondent UMG Recordings, Inc. and pre-action disclosure of sure paperwork and communications from respondent Spotify USA Inc., with displays initially filed in New York Supreme Courtroom On November 25, 2024.”
Want some extra readability? Our buddy Brian at Audiomack supplied a little bit of context:
The discontinuance means the case won’t transfer ahead in courtroom as filed. The withdrawal suggests Frozen Moments (Drake) and UMG reached a non-public decision OR Drake’s authorized group reassessed the authorized deserves of their petition. Spotify mainly mentioned, “That each one sounds good” lol https://t.co/6pFS9Dk3uE
— Z (@BrianZisook) January 15, 2025
It’s value noting Drake nonetheless has a submitting set for a Jan. 28 listening to in Texas towards UMG and iHeartRadio.
Beforehand, Spotify responded to Drake’s authorized motion, accusing the streaming large and Common Music Group of amplifying Kendrick Lamar’s streams for “Not Like Us.”
In a authorized submitting, Drake said Spotify boosted the streams, to which they reply, calling the allegations “false” and calling the authorized motion a “subversion of the conventional judicial course of.”
Spotify says there is no such thing as a proof to assist Drake’s allegations of utilizing bots, and extra, it denies that there is no such thing as a deal to assist the only. “The predicate of Petitioner’s whole request for discovery from Spotify is fake,” Spotify’s authorized group wrote, in line with Billboard. “Spotify and UMG have by no means had any such association.”
Moreover, Spotify was important of Drake’s authorized motion, together with making a “pre-action” as a result of the accusations had been believed to be baseless and would have been rapidly dismissed.
“What petitioner is searching for to do right here … is to bypass the conventional pleading necessities … and procure by means of pre-action discovery that which it could solely be entitled to hunt had been it to outlive a movement to dismiss,” Spotify’s legal professionals added. “This subversion of the conventional judicial course of needs to be rejected.”
