Drake has withdrawn a legal petition accusing Universal Music Group (UMG) and Spotify of manipulating the popularity of Kendrick Lamar's diss track, Not Like Us. Filed in November, the petition alleged that UMG and Spotify artificially inflated the track's streaming numbers using bots, paid influencers, and other tactics. According to court documents submitted to the New York Supreme Court, the case was voluntarily discontinued without financial costs to any party.
"Petitioner hereby voluntarily discontinues this special proceeding as to all respondents without costs to any party," the filing read.
The withdrawn petition was not a full lawsuit but a pre-action case, a preliminary step in litigation designed to gather information and attempt resolution before escalating to court. The feud between the two artists gained significant attention last year, with Not Like Us becoming a viral hit and sparking widespread debate in the hip-hop community.
Drake, whose legal name is Aubrey Graham, claimed in the petition that UMG and Spotify employed bots and other strategies to inflate the track's streams. The song, which accused Drake of being a "certified pedophile" and a "colonizer," achieved record-breaking streaming numbers and was widely viewed as the defining blow in the artists' feud.
UMG, which represents both Drake and Lamar through Republic Records and Interscope, respectively, denied the allegations. "The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue," the company stated. Spotify also denied the claims, asserting, "Spotify has no economic incentive for users to stream Not Like Us over any of Drake's tracks."
The withdrawn New York petition is one of two legal actions Drake filed over the feud. The second petition, filed in Texas, alleges UMG paid iHeartRadio to promote Not Like Us and allowed its release despite defamatory lyrics that Drake's legal team argued were damaging to his reputation. That case remains active.
Drake also alleged that UMG purposefully concealed the existence of the diss track from him and engaged in efforts to mislead consumers. The petition accused UMG of firing employees perceived as loyal to Drake and claimed the company pressured Apple to direct Siri users to Not Like Us.
The feud between Drake and Lamar, which spanned several months, saw both artists release multiple diss tracks. While Drake released relatively little music afterward, he recently addressed the conflict in the freestyle Fighting Irish, rapping, "The world fell in love with the gimmicks, even my brothers got tickets ... This wasn't just business."
Not Like Us has since been regarded as a pivotal moment in the feud, with Lamar being declared the victor by much of the music community. The track, which called Drake a "leech on the hip-hop scene," set records for single-day and weekly streams on Spotify.
Drake's decision to withdraw the New York petition signals a shift in his legal strategy, but the ongoing case in Texas suggests the rapper is not yet ready to close this chapter. Meanwhile, both UMG and Spotify have maintained their positions of innocence, denying any wrongdoing in the feud that has captivated fans and reshaped the dynamics of the hip-hop industry.
