Drake’s ongoing legal tussle with UMG over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” is drawing closer to major court dates scheduled for December and January
As per court documents obtained by HipHopDX, a Texas court would probably entertain Drake’s petition on December 20 although the hearing would chiefly decide whether the deposition of persons from iHeartRadio and UMG regarding possibly illegal activity surrounding the release of Kendrick’s diss song could be ordered.
In another proceeding in New York, a ruling would be delivered by a judge on January 16, 2025, on whether documents or messages regarding the promotional activities for “Not Like Us” must be preserved by Spotify and UMG. The petition, filed on November 25 in Manhattan, accuses UMG of illegal methods which included bots and payola to artificially boost the song’s success.
Drake’s attorneys claim UMG waged a campaign to manipulate the streaming services and radio stations, including the paying of Spotify to ghost to users seeking unrelated music, and by using Apple’s Siri to redirect Drake fans to “Not Like Us” instead of his own tracks. According to the suit’s allegations, through bots inflated the song’s streaming numbers.