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Drake is taking further action against Universal Music Group (UMG), alleging that the label defamed him by releasing “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar. This is the second legal petition the rapper has named UMG in this week and follows his allegations that the label unethically boosted Lamar’s diss track through a range of tactical maneuvers.
Billboard reports that the new petition, a legal step taken before a lawsuit is filed, alleges that “Not Like Us” damages Drake’s reputation by “falsely accusing him of being a sex offender, engaging in pedophilic acts, harboring sex offenders, and committing other criminal sexual acts.” The petition was filed in Bexar County, Texas, and also accuses UMG of funneling payments to iHeartRadio in a pay-to-play promotional scheme.
The new filing follows a separate petition filed to the New York supreme court on November 25, in which attorney’s representing Drake accused UMG and Spotify mounting “a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves” around the release of “Not Like Us.” This includes paying influencers to promote the song, buying radio plays, using bots to boost streams, and reducing the regular licensing rates agreed upon when Spotify reccomends a song to users.