Drake’s Lawyers Double Down As They Call Out Spotify’s ‘Manipulative Practices’ Alleged In Legal Filing

Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s rap beef was a monumental moment in hip-hop. But the “Family Matters” rapper’s upcoming legal battle with UMG and Spotify is gearing up to be an industry shifter.

“This proceeding arises out of a long-running feud between the popular recording artists Aubrey Drake Graham (p/k/a “Drake”) and Kendrick Lamar Duckworth,” Spotify’s Friday filing in New York County Supreme Court, obtained by USA TODAY, reads.

Spotify’s lawyer describes the company as “a stranger to this fracas” and notes only a few of the claims in Drake’s Nov. 25 petition – including one that alleges it agreed to recommend “Not Like Us” on its service in exchange for a discounted royalty rate – were aimed at the streaming service.

The company denies making this agreement and asks the judge to deny Drake’s request for all parties to hand over evidence related to his claims, otherwise known as pre-action discovery, so he could file a legal complaint. Drake’s petition “relies exclusively on speculation … or the claims of anonymous individuals on the internet” in its claims, Spotify says in its filing.

As such, Spotify should be dismissed from the case and the “burden” of pre-action discovery, per the filing.

In response to Spotify’s filing, Drake’s legal team at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP said in a statement that “It is not surprising that Spotify is trying to distance themselves from UMG’s allegedly manipulative practices to artificially inflate streaming numbers on behalf of one of its other artists.”

“If Spotify and UMG have nothing to hide then they should be perfectly fine complying with this basic discovery request,” the statement continued.

UMG previously denied Drake’s allegations.

“The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue,” UMG said in a statement to USA TODAY on Nov. 25. “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.”

via: USA Today

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