Spotify Responds to Drake’s Allegations of Inflated Streams for Kendrick Lamar’s Diss Track

Spotify has officially responded to Drake’s recent claim that the music streaming service helped inflate the streaming numbers of Kendrick Lamar’s diss song “Not Like Us.” Drake had accused Spotify and Lamar’s label, Universal Music Group (UMG), of manipulating streams to boost the song’s popularity.

In a new legal filing, Spotify denied the allegations. The company stated that there was no agreement between UMG and Spotify to inflate the streams or recommend “Not Like Us” to users in exchange for a discount on licensing fees. They also mentioned that they found no evidence to support claims made on a podcast that bots were used to generate 30 million streams for the track in its early days.

Drake’s legal team quickly fired back, claiming that Spotify was distancing itself from UMG’s alleged practices and demanding transparency. They argued that if there was nothing to hide, Spotify should comply with their request for more information.

This legal battle began when Drake’s company, Frozen Moments, filed a petition in a New York court, claiming that UMG used a strategy involving “bots” and paid promotions to make “Not Like Us” go viral. Spotify responded, saying it had no reason to prioritize Lamar’s song over Drake’s, and that the song’s promotion on their platform involved a €500 paid campaign in France, which was clearly marked as a sponsored recommendation.

Spotify emphasized that it works hard to prevent artificial streams and take action against any manipulation, such as removing fake streams and withholding royalties. They added that they have invested in automated and manual systems to prevent stream manipulation and ensure fair payouts to all artists.

Lamar’s song “Not Like Us” has been a huge success. It spent two weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and 20 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Rap Songs chart. The song is nominated for five Grammy Awards, including Song and Record of the Year. It has become a major hit worldwide and is seen as more than just a diss track.

The feud between Drake and Lamar dates back to 2013, when Lamar first sent jabs at several fellow rappers, including Drake, in his guest verse on Big Sean’s “Control.” Their rivalry reignited in March, leading to Lamar releasing “Not Like Us” in May, where he accused Drake of cultural appropriation and even called him a pedophile.