Drake Withdraws Legal Challenge Over Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us"

In a surprising move, Drake has abandoned his legal actions against Universal Music and Spotify regarding Kendrick Lamar's controversial diss track "Not Like Us," claiming unfair streaming practices that inflated its popularity.

Drake has unexpectedly decided to drop his legal case against Universal Music and Spotify, which he initially filed last November over Kendrick Lamar's notorious diss track "Not Like Us." The Canadian artist accused the two companies of employing fraudulent tactics, including bots and payola, to amplify the streams of Lamar's song, which controversially accused him of inappropriate behavior.

Court documents alleged that the meteoric rise of "Not Like Us" in terms of streaming and radio play was the result of unethical business practices. However, on Tuesday, Drake's attorneys voluntarily pulled back a pre-action filing, signaling the end of the legal proceedings. Following a meeting with representatives from both Spotify and Universal, it was noted that Spotify had no objections to the withdrawal.

Drake's initial complaint also referenced a related lawsuit filed in Texas against Universal and iHeartRadio, which remains unresolved. The feud between the two rappers has its roots in past tensions that date back to the early 2010s. In the lyrics to "Not Like Us," Lamar claimed that Drake has a penchant for younger individuals, prompting a direct response from Drake, who released a counter-track titled "The Heart Part 6." In his response, he firmly denied any misconduct while asserting that he had intentionally misled Lamar through indirect channels.

Despite Drake's efforts, his rebuttal failed to eclipse the impact of "Not Like Us," which topped the US charts and surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify. The initial legal approach was primarily aimed at obtaining internal documents from Spotify and Universal that could support Drake's case.

Universal responded to the allegations by firmly denying any wrongdoing, asserting that their promotional strategies adhere to ethical norms. Spotify echoed this sentiment, stating there was no incentive for users to prefer "Not Like Us" over Drake's music. As skepticism regarding the potential success of the lawsuit grew, industry experts speculated that Drake might be using the legal route to gain leverage for a potential contract dispute, which could negatively affect his reputation rather than help it. Prominent entertainment lawyer Kevin Casini highlighted that attention drawn to the controversial lyrics could inadvertently boost the streaming numbers of the track.