‘Fans chose the music they want to hear’: Drake sues his own record label for a reason they call ‘absurd’ leading everyone to rightfully mock him

Drake has been living in denial ever since he lost his now-famous battle against Kendrick Lamar in the iconic rap battle of May 2024. The battle seemingly ended after Kendrick Lamar released Not Like Us, which took over the charts, and now Drake has hired lawyers to start the process of filing a lawsuit against Universal Music Group over the song.

Drake’s lawyers are alleging that Universal Music Group used bots to virtually ramp up Kendrick Lamar’s streams during the battle, hired influencers to promote Not Like Us, and even cut the royalty rate they usually demand by up to 30% just so Spotify could recommend the song more often to its users. The only teeny tiny problem with this lawsuit is that Drake himself is also signed by Universal Music Group.

The alleged evidence Drake is presenting includes a podcast that allowed users to ask Siri to play his album Certified Lover Boy, but instead, the Apple app would play Not Like Us. Now, in Drake’s defense, fighting Not Like Us is completely warranted because the song was quite an eviscerating exercise that not only alleged that Drake is a “pedophile,” but also had an undeniably catchy jingle that made everyone feel the need to sing along. Ever since the song’s release, Kendrick has been declared the winner of the battle by most fans, and he was even named as the 2025 Super Bowl halftime performer.

People online are suspecting that it’s Kendrick Lamar’s ascent to these heights that’s truly bothering Drake. A user even joked that this is Drake’s January 6th.

Universal Music Group, on their end, responded to the allegations via a press release to The Guardian, saying, “The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue. We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns. No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.”

Spotify chose to not comment on the matter. It’s also worth noting that fans online are already unearthing instances of Drake’s music being favored by streamers and music labels, specifically in 2018 when Spotify users demanded a refund for Drake over promotion.

These allegations Drake is making are not to be taken lightly. If he can prove that there was foul play involved in how Not Like Us was promoted, Drake could single-handedly change the entire landscape of music through crackdowns on streaming farms. Drake, even now, is still one of the most influential artists in any genre, and he more than just about anyone deserves to be at the forefront of course correction when music is heading in the wrong direction. Especially considering how fake streams could affect smaller artists by creating the illusion that the returns their music generates are nowhere near that of a major artist and therefore ensuring the creation of an uneven marketplace.

But it’s unlikely that this is his goal here — Drake is a man who lost a rap battle, became a sore loser, and now wants the entire industry to join in with his pity party. The fans will never forget this.