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Drake has withdrawn the petition he raised last November accusing Spotify and Universal Music Group (UMG) of using illegal methods to boost Kendrick Lamar‘s diss track “Not Like Us.” Documents filed with the New York Supreme Court on Tuesday show the pre-action case is being discontinued.
The legal action was a pre-action case, a step taken before a full lawsuit and Drake's decision to drop it involves no financial cost to any of the parties involved, per the documents shared this week.
The petition detailed Drake's belief that UMG and Spotify had worked together to use “bots,” discounted licensing rates, and pay-to-play agreements to inflate the streaming numbers for Lamar’s song. The song was Lamar's killer blow in a high profile beef between the pair and featured the Compton rapper calling Drake a "pedophile" among other insults. Both artists are part of the UMG, with Drake releasing his music via Republic Records and Lamar through Interscope.
A second legal petition filed by Drake, accusing UMG of paying iHeartRadio to play "Not Like Us" and knowingly releasing a song that defamed him, remains active.
