Just when you thought we were out, the Kendrick Lamar-Drake beef is back on the menu, but perhaps not in the way you might expect. The Compton MC’s latest album hitting the shelves may have contained a few potshots at his across-the-border rival, but instead, the Toronto rapper was the one who brought the feud back to the fore, this time in the court. Two Drake “lawsuits,” more accurately described as “petitions” or simply “court filings,” made their way to the public, sparking a new battle between the superstar and a major label. Here’s everything you need to know.
Drake Lawsuits Allege Illegal Payments To Promo “Not Like Us”
As mentioned, Drake filed two distinct lawsuits, and though much of the material and allegations contained in either overlap, there are still some differences worth pointing out. The first one to hit the newswire alleges that UMG engaged in illegal and unethical “pay-for-play” practices to skyrocket Lamar’s “Not Like Us” to an artificially inflated debut and subsequent success. The second filing instead focuses on libel and slander laws, alleging that UMG was negligent in promoting Lamar’s song. Mainly, because of claims that Drake involved himself in illegal, statutory relations remain the track’s musical center point.
Of the claims in either suit, the “payola” allegations seem to have the most support and potential credibility, if not for this particular case but as an industry-wide practice. Long-time hip-hop personality (and radio icon, truly) Funkmaster Flex spoke out on social media in support of that portion: “DRAKE IS 100% RIGHT,” his statement read, before breaking down specific price points that he alleges some of his peers charge for national radio play.
Frozen Moments LLC Dredges Up Payola Debates
Payola, or receiving money in exchange for airtime without explicitly citing the material as sponsored content, has been federally illegal since the mid-20th century. In addition to the more “traditional” payola claims included here, Drake and Frozen Moments LLC claim that smaller influencers received quid pro quo benefits to promote the song. In the modern era, online pundits, bloggers, and personalities must comply with the same strictures to disclose potential payments, per a 2020 FTC update.
The suit zeroes in on the NFR Podcast as an example of this, including screenshots of their commentary regarding the song in the filings. Though the media brand has a sizable following (1.3 M on TikTok), they couldn’t possibly account for the entirety of the song’s sales and streams (nearing a billion at the time of writing). Still, Drake and his company allege a more extensive coordinated campaign to at least get the song’s legs under itself.
Where The Drake Lawsuits Go From Here
As Anthony Fantano of theneedledrop and many others have brought up in their criticism, the unspoken undercurrent in these proceedings is how thin (or nonexistent) a line theoretically exists between Kendrick Lamar and Drake in the eyes of UMG. Though certainly the Compton MC has a higher approval rating in “the culture” in 2024, Drake is every bit the superstar that he is, and during periods where his star shone brighter, who’s to say these same practices weren’t utilized for his material? Additionally, Lamar and Graham’s deals are essentially the same under Universal; though signed to distinct labels, both rappers work with UMG for distribution and marketing. Outside of conspiratorial or personal reasons, what cause would the label have to intentionally suppress or damage one of their acts on behalf of another?
So where do the Drake lawsuits go from here? Though news of this set the internet ablaze, this is still a very early stage in the legal process, and we’ll have to wait and see if Frozen Moments LLC pushes the issue further, or if the two courts in which these filings were entered find enough evidence to put together cases. If nothing else, it adds an additional wrinkle to one of the most dominant stories of 2024, and ensures that against all odds, it’ll remain a story into the new year.
Elsewhere in our coverage, Jorja Smith – Loving You / Don’t Let Me Go ushers in a return to form for the star vocalist.
