Drake has escalated his dispute with fellow rap superstar Kendrick Lamar, filing a pair of court notices warning of legal action against major music companies for what Drake called manipulative promotion of Lamar’s megahit “Not Like Us.” The record-breaking “diss” track “Not Like Us” released this year suggests Drake is a sex offender with lyrics such as, “Drake, I hear you like ’em young,” and references to a “certified pedophile” and a “predator.” Drake, using his given name Aubrey Drake Graham, filed a petition in Bexar County District Court in Texas on Monday serving notice to music giants iHeartMedia IHRT.
O and Universal Music Group UMG.AS , accusing UMG of scheming to turn “Not Like Us” into a viral hit at the expense of Drake, a fellow UMG artist. Universal Music Group denied it undermined Drake or that it used unethical practices to market Lamar’s song, saying in a statement that Drake’s accusations were “contrived and absurd legal arguments.
” Representatives of iHeartMedia, which is based in San Antonio, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Drake’s company Frozen Moments filed a similar action in New York Supreme Court against Universal and Spotify SPOT.N on Monday, accusing Universal of using payola and other manipulative practices to promote “Not Like Us.
” Spotify did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. As in Texas, the New York case is not a formal lawsuit but a notice tha.
