Drake simply can't believe that Kendrick Lamar beat him so badly in their feud — he's taking legal action against Universal Music Group and Spotify over accusations that they artificially inflated the streams of Lamar's "Not Like Us" using bots, as well as licensing the song at reduced rates.
"UMG did not rely on chance, or even ordinary business practices," Drake's attorneys argued [via Billboard]. "It instead launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves."
UPDATE (11/25): A UMG spokesperson has denied Drake's allegations in a statement provided to Billboard, saying, "The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive 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 submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear."
Drake's team has accused UMG of false advertising and violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. It's not a full-blown lawsuit — at least not yet. Rather, it's a "pre-action" petition to gain information that precedes a lawsuit, Variety notes.
The twist: Drake releases his music through UMG. His music comes out through his OVO Sound label in partnership with Republic Records, which itself is a subsidiary of Universal.
Of course, none of this really matters, since Drake lost the feud the moment he released "The Heart Part 6," regardless of how well "Not Like Us" has performed commercially over the subsequent months.
Listen to "Not Like Us" a few times below.