drake and kendrick Lamar's ongoing feud already had high marks for being the most Technology-Fueled Wrap Beef of all time. dis track on instagram, Song details on podcastconcert Live-streamed on Amazon Prime VideoHowever, this week, technology's role in the dustup hit all new highs (or maybe lows?) via a pair of court filings on Drake's behalf, both of which point to the importance of streaming music platforms in popular music. Are.
In the first filing, a pre-action petition filed Monday in New York, attorneys for Drake's company Frozen Moments allege the use of multiple methods to increase plays on “Not Like Us” on Lamar's record label Universal Music Group (UMG). Accused of committing, which includes this allegation. Record company pays Apple to let Siri direct listeners to tracks upon request certified loverboy,
Drake's lawyers wrote that “Online sources reported that when users asked Siri to play the album certified loverboy Recording artist Aubrey Drake Graham d/b/a Drake, Siri instead played 'Not Like Us', which includes the lyric 'certified pedophile', an allegation against Drake. It also accuses UMG, which is also Drake's label, of “paid, or agreed to be paid” to Apple to make Siri do this.
In a second filing in Texas, which became public Tuesday, Drake's lawyers UMG accused of defamationClaiming that the record label could prevent the release of “Not Like Us” or modify it to remove some of its “false” statements about Drake.
Defamation and Siri-suping are some of the claims made in the petitions. He also accused UMG of lowering licensing rates on Spotify in exchange for the streaming service recommending Lamar's songs to listeners. There are also claims that UMG used bots to increase the streaming numbers of “Not Like Us”, which is approaching 1 billion streams on Spotify and was Nominated for five Grammys earlier this month.
The first petition seeks “pre-action disclosure” of any evidence UMG or Spotify have in relation to these allegations. The second is similar to that of UMG and iHeartRadio, the radio company Drake's lawyers claim they also “pay-to-play schemeTo promote “not like us”.
Throughout their feud — which has been growing since Lamar called out Drake on “Like That” in the spring and seems to have all but ended after dropping “Not Like Us” — both rappers Has hurt those who attack each other through songs. Accusations related to domestic violence, hypocrisy and authenticity have been constant. That's how hip-hop fights work. But in a war of words that got just as heated between Drake and Lamar, it feels weak now to see it come out in court filings about Spotify streams and Siri suggestions, and it's a symbol of what happens when rap beefs with technology. What happens if so much gets added? Longtime hip-hop fans will always have their own opinions about who “won” the beef, but the historical record still counts cold, hard numbers — from Spotify streams to likes on IG posts.