Remember
when
I
said
that
Drake’s
loss
against
Kendrick
was
so
overwhelming
that
the
only
recourse
he
had
left
was
to
take
him
to
court
for
defamation?
Turns
out,
I
was
only
half
right.
Drake
is
going
to
court,
but
if
you
thought
the
only
RICO
accusations
involving
a
major
rapper
would
be
against
Young
Thug,
think
again!
The
disgraced
gambling
advertiser
is
suing
his
record
label
(Universal
Music
Group)
and
Spotify
because
“Not
Like
Us”
was
too
well
received
by
the
public.
NPR
has
coverage:
Drake
has
filed
a
petition
against
Spotify
and
Universal
Music
Group,
accusing
the
companies
of
conspiring
to
inflate
the
streaming
and
radio
numbers
of
Kendrick
Lamar’s
“Not
Like
Us”
amid
the
rappers’
months
long
feud.Drake
says
in
the
petition,
filed
in
the
New
York
court
system,
that
UMG
paid
influencers,
radio
stations
and
others
to
promote
the
song
and
use
bots
to
increase
the
song’s
popularity.He
references
the
companies’
multi-year
licensing
agreement,
and
says
they
have
“a
long-standing,
symbiotic
business
relationship”
in
which
UMG
charged
Spotify
a
licensing
fee
30%
less
than
usual
for
“Not
Like
Us.”
In
exchange,
Spotify
frequently
recommended
the
song
to
users,
he
says.
Drake
is
no
stranger
to
the
notion
that
a
music
company
and
streaming
service
can
artificially
elevate
and
push
the
work
of
an
artist:
But
things
seem
different
with
Kendrick.
“Not
Like
Us”
could
have
just
been
a
wildly
popular
song
that
was
played
everywhere
and
by
everyone:
While
it’s
a
little
early
to
speak
on
the
legal
merits
of
Drake’s
accusations,
there’s
a
general
understanding
that
Drake’s
lawsuit
is
about
as
far
from
hip-hop
as
it
gets:
This
is
the
tamest
way
to
put
things.
Others
have
been
far
more…
creative
with
their
disappointment.
Some
go
for
the
easy
tee-hee:
Others
delve
a
little
deeper
and
question
Drake’s
interesting
triaging
of
what
issues
to
tackle:
The
most
unfortunate
thing
about
all
of
this?
Drake
spent
weeks
goading
Kendrick
to
respond.
It
is
unclear
if
anyone
in
Drake’s
camp
warned
him
that
getting
into
a
word
fight
with
a
Pulitzer
Prize
winner
didn’t
bode
well,
but
the
consequences
became
very
clear,
very
quickly.
Once
Kendrick
did,
the
ensuing
records
—
“Meet
The
Grahams,”
specifically
—
were
some
of
the
most
haunting
dissections
of
an
opponent
the
genre
has
seen
in
a
decades.
Even
if
Drake
ultimately
wins
in
the
court
of
law,
the
court
of
public
opinion
says
otherwise.
Nothing
is
gonna
be
the
same
all
right.
Ball
up
top.
Meanwhile,
a
second
Drake
lawsuit
recently
hit
the
courtroom,
and
this
time
he’s
addressing
the
pedophilia
allegations.
Billboard
has
coverage:
Drake
has
launched
a
second
bombshell
legal
action
against
Universal
Music
Group
over
Kendrick
Lamar’s
“Not
Like
Us,”
accusing
the
music
giant
of
defamation
and
claiming
it
could
have
halted
the
release
of
a
song
“falsely
accusing
him
of
being
a
sex
offender.”
Better
late
than
never,
but
who
in
their
right
mind
wouldn’t
lead
with
“Hey,
stop
saying
I
diddle
kids”
before
accusations
of
inflated
plays?
Do
better,
6
God.
Drake
Accuses
Universal
Music
Group
And
Spotify
Of
Unfairly
Promoting
Kendrick
Lamar’s
‘Not
Like
Us’
[NPR]
Drake
Files
Second
Action
Against
UMG,
Alleging
Defamation
Over
Kendrick
Lamar’s
‘False’
Song
[Billboard]
Earlier:
Drake
Really
Has
One
Option
Left
Against
Kendrick
If
He
Wants
To
Win
Chris
Williams
became
a
social
media
manager
and
assistant
editor
for
Above
the
Law
in
June
2021.
Prior
to
joining
the
staff,
he
moonlighted
as
a
minor
Memelord™
in
the
Facebook
group Law
School
Memes
for
Edgy
T14s.
He
endured
Missouri
long
enough
to
graduate
from
Washington
University
in
St.
Louis
School
of
Law.
He
is
a
former
boatbuilder
who
cannot
swim, a
published
author
on
critical
race
theory,
philosophy,
and
humor,
and
has
a
love
for
cycling
that
occasionally
annoys
his
peers.
You
can
reach
him
by
email
at [email protected] and
by
tweet
at @WritesForRent.