{"id":130301,"date":"2024-11-26T14:22:24","date_gmt":"2024-11-26T07:22:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=130301"},"modified":"2024-11-26T14:22:24","modified_gmt":"2024-11-26T07:22:24","slug":"drake-escalates-kendrick-beef-and-accuses-record-label-of-firing-allies-while-boosting-his-rival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=130301","title":{"rendered":"Drake escalates Kendrick beef and accuses record label of firing allies while boosting his rival"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"main\">\n<div data-testid=\"nsc-wrapper-support-us\">\n<div class=\"hydrate-root\" data-component=\"SupportNSCNative\" data-loading=\"lazy\" data-theme-name=\"base\">\n<div class=\"sc-hez36s-0 jBfdop\">\n<div class=\"sc-hez36s-1 hKRbzg\">\n<h3 data-testid=\"support-nsc-title\" class=\"sc-hez36s-2 cKIkhp\">Your support helps us to tell the story<\/h3>\n<div class=\"sc-hez36s-8 dWUzhG\">\n<div class=\"sc-hez36s-13 doTReP\">\n<div class=\"sc-hez36s-12 iGXncB\">\n<div>\n<div data-testid=\"support-nsc-collapsed-content\" class=\"sc-hez36s-7 hKrnEq\">\n<p class=\"sc-1uza6dc-0 hlPMMm\">From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it&#8217;s investigating the financials of Elon Musk&#8217;s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, &#8216;The A Word&#8217;, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-1uza6dc-0 hlPMMm\">At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-1uza6dc-0 hlPMMm\">The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.<\/p>\n<p><strong class=\"sc-1uza6dc-1 euTVax\">Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong><\/div>\n<p><button class=\"sc-hez36s-4 bErStG sc-hez36s-14 ggPDxB\"><span data-testid=\"support-nsc-dropdown-mobile-open\" class=\"sc-hez36s-6 jWuFRk\"><span class=\"sc-hez36s-5 vaVnf\">Close<\/span><svg class=\"sc-eaj12q-0 kMSyUM sc-culv3z-0 jIhHch sc-a5wy94-0 jhbxrS\"><use href=\"#ee6613da15642019\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><button class=\"sc-hez36s-4 bErStG sc-hez36s-15 gibhIT\"><span data-testid=\"support-nsc-dropdown-tablet\" class=\"sc-hez36s-6 jWuFRk\"><span class=\"sc-hez36s-5 vaVnf\">Read more<\/span><svg class=\"sc-eaj12q-0 kMSyUM sc-culv3z-0 jIhHch sc-a5wy94-0 jhbxrS\"><use href=\"#ee6613da15642019\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Amid an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/music\/news\/drake-birthday-kendrick-lamar-feud-b2634994.html\"><u>ongoing battle royal<\/u><\/a> with hip-hop icon <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/music\/news\/kendrick-lamar-lil-wayne-super-bowl-gnx-lyrics-b2652262.html\"><u>Kendrick Lamar<\/u><\/a>, Canadian rapper Drake now claims their shared record label secretly gamed the system to artificially inflate his avowed rival\u2019s most recent diss track, in which Lamar accuses the former child star of being a \u201ccertified pedophile,\u201d while suppressing his own music.<\/p>\n<p>In an eyepopping court filing obtained by <em>The Independent<\/em>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/music\/news\/drake-steve-lacy-kendrick-lamar-feud-b2653331.html\"><u>Drake<\/u><\/a>, born Aubrey Drake Graham, says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/topic\/universal-music-group\"><u>Universal Music Group<\/u><\/a> (UMG) used a network of bots, in conjunction with a so-called pay-to-play scheme, to \u201cmanipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves\u201d with Lamar\u2019s smash hit song \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/music\/news\/kendrick-lamar-drake-beef-not-like-us-music-video-b2574462.html\"><u>Not Like Us<\/u><\/a>,\u201d all to Drake\u2019s detriment.<\/p>\n<p>The filing accuses UMG, which has deals with both performers, of paying Spotify to recommend \u201cNot Like Us\u201d to users \u201cwho are searching for other unrelated songs and artists,\u201d claiming the label also paid <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/topic\/apple\"><u>Apple<\/u><\/a> to have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/topic\/siri\"><u>Siri<\/u><\/a> \u201cpurposely misdirect\u201d users requesting songs from Drake\u2019s catalog, serving up \u201cNot Like Us\u201d in its place. UMG\u2019s ploy, the filing argues, created \u201cthe false impression that the Song was more popular than it was in reality.\u201d Making matters even stickier, Drake says in the filing that UMG has tried to hide its alleged propping up of Lamar at Drake\u2019s expense \u201cby terminating employees associated with or perceived as having loyalty to Drake.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-482ou5-2 eOHevC image align-none\">\n<figure class=\"sc-1cbdeug-0 cpcmmN\">\n<div data-gallery-length=\"4\" class=\"sc-482ou5-0 bpTTrG\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/2024\/11\/22\/17\/newFile-3.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/2024\/11\/22\/17\/newFile-3.jpg?quality=75&amp;width=320&amp;auto=webp 320w, https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/2024\/11\/22\/17\/newFile-3.jpg?quality=75&amp;width=640&amp;auto=webp 640w\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Kendrick Lamar has been locked in a battle with Drake for years\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 iSVhwZ inline-gallery-btn\"\/><\/p>\n<p><button class=\"sc-ohzviw-0 gdZNrl inline-gallery-btn\" id=\"trigger-autogallery-47795\"><span class=\"sc-ohzviw-1 ewSUe\">open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"sc-1cbdeug-1 sc-1cbdeug-3 hiCdLa liXvvg\">Kendrick Lamar has been locked in a battle with Drake for years<span class=\"sc-1cbdeug-7 izyooE\"> <!-- -->(<!-- -->Getty Images<!-- -->)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>According to the filing \u2014 a petition by Drake and his company, Frozen Moments LLC, asking the court to order UMG and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/topic\/spotify\"><u>Spotify<\/u><\/a> to preserve all relevant documents and communications in advance of a pending lawsuit \u2014 UMG has so far \u201crefused to engage\u201d with Drake over the issue, instead pointing the finger at Lamar and telling Drake to sue Lamar, not UMG.<\/p>\n<p>But a source from Drake\u2019s camp said on Monday, shortly after the petition was filed in New York State Supreme Court, that Drake is upset with UMG\u2019s allegedly shady business practices, not Lamar or his lyrics. (Drake has hit back at Lamar with his own tracks, calling the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/topic\/compton\"><u>Compton<\/u><\/a> rapper a domestic abuser and casting doubt on the paternity of his child.) Further, the source told <em>The Independent<\/em>, if Drake is successful at tamping down wrongdoing throughout the industry, the result could help protect other, less well-known artists from future exploitation.<\/p>\n<p>In an email, a UMG spokesman said, \u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Spotify declined to comment. The attorneys representing Drake declined to comment on the record for this story.<\/p>\n<p>UMG was one of Spotify\u2019s earliest supporters, inking a multi-year global licensing agreement with the streaming giant in 2020, Drake\u2019s court filing states. It cites UMG\u2019s financial reporting, which showed some $2.3 billion in earnings from Spotify in 2023, accounting for nearly 20 percent of the label\u2019s revenues.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-482ou5-2 eOHevC image align-none\">\n<figure class=\"sc-1cbdeug-0 cpcmmN\">\n<div data-gallery-length=\"4\" class=\"sc-482ou5-0 bLrVft\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/2024\/11\/25\/20\/GettyImages-1730515480.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/2024\/11\/25\/20\/GettyImages-1730515480.jpg?quality=75&amp;width=320&amp;auto=webp 320w, https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/2024\/11\/25\/20\/GettyImages-1730515480.jpg?quality=75&amp;width=640&amp;auto=webp 640w\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Spotify streams are at the center of a legal filing by Drake, who contends his label has shown preference to rival Kendrick Lamar\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 iSVhwZ inline-gallery-btn\"\/><\/p>\n<p><button class=\"sc-ohzviw-0 gdZNrl inline-gallery-btn\" id=\"trigger-autogallery-47796\"><span class=\"sc-ohzviw-1 ewSUe\">open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"sc-1cbdeug-1 sc-1cbdeug-3 hiCdLa liXvvg\">Spotify streams are at the center of a legal filing by Drake, who contends his label has shown preference to rival Kendrick Lamar<span class=\"sc-1cbdeug-7 izyooE\"> <!-- -->(<!-- -->AFP via Getty Images<!-- -->)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>In May of this year, with streaming so important to its bottom line, UMG \u201cdid not rely on chance, or even ordinary business practices,\u201d to achieve success with Lamar\u2019s latest release, according to the filing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt instead launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves with a song, \u2018Not Like Us,\u2019 in order to make that song go viral, including by using \u2018bots\u2019 and pay-to-play agreements,\u201d the filing states, claiming UMG charged Spotify 30 percent less than its usual licensing rates in exchange for Spotify pushing recommendations for \u201cNot Like Us\u201d to \u201cusers who are searching for other unrelated songs and artists.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNeither UMG nor Spotify disclosed that Spotify had received compensation of any kind in exchange for recommending the Song,\u201d the filing contends, claiming that such practices contravene the Communications Act of 1934.<\/p>\n<p>In June, a \u201cwhistleblower\u201d revealed on a podcast that Lamar\u2019s label had paid him to set up a bot network that would generate 30 million streams on Spotify in the first few days after the May 3 release of \u201cNot Like Us,\u201d according to the filing. The leaker claimed he had been promised a cash payment plus a percentage of the song\u2019s sales in exchange for his help. The filing says UMG also paid to quietly \u201cinflate\u201d the number of views Lamar\u2019s \u201cNot Like Us\u201d video received, paid traditional radio stations for extra airplay, and claims the label\u2019s alleged under-the-table streaming deals extended beyond Spotify.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnline sources reported that when users asked Siri to play the album \u2018Certified Loverboy\u2019 by recording artist Aubrey Drake Graham d\/b\/a Drake, Siri instead played \u2018Not Like Us,\u2019 which contains the lyric \u2018certified pedophile,\u2019 an allegation against Drake,\u201d the filing states.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-482ou5-2 eOHevC image align-none\">\n<figure class=\"sc-1cbdeug-0 cpcmmN\">\n<div data-gallery-length=\"4\" class=\"sc-482ou5-0 jLHTav\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/2024\/11\/25\/20\/GettyImages-1097614968.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/2024\/11\/25\/20\/GettyImages-1097614968.jpg?quality=75&amp;width=320&amp;auto=webp 320w, https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/2024\/11\/25\/20\/GettyImages-1097614968.jpg?quality=75&amp;width=640&amp;auto=webp 640w\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Drake claims his streams have been suppressed beyond Spotify, extending all the way to Siri recomendations\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 iSVhwZ inline-gallery-btn\"\/><\/p>\n<p><button class=\"sc-ohzviw-0 gdZNrl inline-gallery-btn\" id=\"trigger-autogallery-47797\"><span class=\"sc-ohzviw-1 ewSUe\">open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"sc-1cbdeug-1 sc-1cbdeug-3 hiCdLa liXvvg\">Drake claims his streams have been suppressed beyond Spotify, extending all the way to Siri recomendations<span class=\"sc-1cbdeug-7 izyooE\"> <!-- -->(<!-- -->Getty Images for The Recording A<!-- -->)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>UMG, additionally, paid <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/topic\/social-media\"><u>social media<\/u><\/a> influencers to \u201cpromote and endorse\u201d Lamar\u2019s song, without either side disclosing the financial arrangement, according to the filing, which says the arrangement generated nearly 900 million streams on Spotify for \u201cNot Like Us,\u201d a record for the most streams ever in a single day for a hip-hop song,\u00a0 and the most-streamed diss track in Spotify history. The song was also a massive hit on radio, and became the best-selling rap song of 2024, the filing states. The motivation behind UMG\u2019s \u201cschemes,\u201d according to Drake\u2019s filing, was entirely financial. It claims the colossal success of \u201cNot Like Us\u201d has, in turn, juiced sales of Lamar\u2019s back catalog, making even more money for UMG.<\/p>\n<p>Drake\u2019s filing even alleges that he has \u201creceived information that UMG has been taking steps in an apparent effort to conceal its schemes, including, but not limited to, by terminating employees associated with or perceived as having loyalty to Drake.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStreaming and licensing is a zero-sum game,\u201d the filing concludes. \u201cEvery time a song \u2018breaks through,\u2019 it means another artist does not. UMG\u2019s choice to saturate the music market with \u2018Not Like Us\u2019 comes at the expense of its other artists, like Drake.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Last month, nu-metal band <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/music\/news\/limp-bizkit-universal-music-group-lawsuit-b2626761.html\"><u>Limp Bizkit sued UMG<\/u><\/a>, claiming the label has not paid them despite their songs being streamed more than half a billion times.<\/p>\n<p>Drake is accusing UMG and Spotify of violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), as well as the NY Deceptive Business Act and the NY False Advertising Act.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/world\/americas\/drake-sues-umg-kendrick-lamar-feud-b2653665.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it&#8217;s &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=130301\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-130301","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-entertainment","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130301","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=130301"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130301\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=130301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=130301"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=130301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}