Drake filed a second legal document regarding “Not Like Us,” which now includes iHeartRadio as a defendant and discusses the possibility of a defamation lawsuit due to the Kendrick Lamar diss track.
Billboard reported on Tuesday (November 26) that Drizzy filed another “pre-action” petition, seeking specific information from a court before proceeding with a lawsuit, in addition to the one made public the day before.
Unlike the initial one, which was lodged in New York, this one was lodged in Texas. More specifically, according to the source, the recent petition alleges that iHeartRadio received payola from Universal Music Group as part of an illegal scheme to promote “Not Like Us” on the radio.
Furthermore, Drizzy asserts that UMG still put out K.Dot’s song, which is now nominated for a Grammy, even though they were aware that the track incorrectly labels him as a sex offender.
The petition claims that the Canadian celebrity has gathered sufficient evidence to file a defamation lawsuit against the company.
The previous lawsuit, submitted to a Manhattan court on Monday (November 25), claims that UMG utilized bots, payola, and other tactics to boost the popularity of Kendrick’s hit song.
The documents stated that UMG did not depend on luck or typical business methods. “It opted to start a strategy to control and flood the streaming services and airwaves.”
The submission claims that the record company paid Spotify to advertise “Not Like Us” to users looking for different songs and musicians.
Moreover, it alleges that UMG gave money to Apple in order for Siri to purposely send users looking for songs by Drake to “Not Like Us” instead. It is also alleged that the company utilized bots to artificially boost the song’s statistics.
Drake requested that the court instruct UMG and Spotify to collect all necessary paperwork in preparation for an upcoming legal case.
UMG has opted not to participate in the discussion, advising Drake to take legal action against Kendrick instead, as reported by The Independent.
UMG replied to Variety.
A representative for the company stated that the idea of UMG undermining its artists is offensive and false. We adhere to the strictest ethical standards in all our marketing and promotional efforts. Fans decide what music they want to listen to, despite any artificial or ridiculous legal arguments in this pre-action submission.
