Drake‘s bombshell legal filings against Universal Music Group appear to have quickly backfired as streams of Kendrick Lamar‘s “Not Like Us” have surged in recent days.
The chart-topping diss song is at the heart of the dispute, with Drizzy accusing UMG of artifically boosting the track’s popularity through the use of streaming bots and payola.
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He has also claimed that UMG — the parent company of his label Republic and Kendrick’s longtime home of Interscope — defamed him by knowlingly releasing a song that accuses him of being a pedophile.
Since he filed the petitions on Monday (November 25), sales of “Not Like Us” have increased by a staggering 440 percent, while streams of the song have jumped by 20 percent, according to Talk of the Charts.
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“Not Like Us” has also zoomed back up the charts of both Apple Music and Spotify, enjoying a 16-place climb on the latter’s Global chart.
This spike in popularity will also likely be reflected on next week’s Billboard Hot 100, which “Not Like Us” previously topped in May and again in July following the release of its music video.
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Drake was recently warned about his legal battle with UMG inadvertently benefitting his rap rival by music industry and legal experts.
“No amount of money in the world is worth the reputational harm that Drake is causing to himself by filing these suits,” Audiomack co-founder Brian “Z” Zisook told Rolling Stone.
“If Drake had learned Kendrick was about to release a record making these claims, and he filed a suit to block the song’s release, that would make more sense. But the song is out. It’s been out. The whole world has heard the record.
“Filing these suits serves as a reminder to the world. This is a classic case of the Streisand effect.”
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The Streisand effect refers to actress and singer Barbra Streisand’s attempts to supress the publication of a 2003 photo showing her home in Malibu, which inadvertently drew more attention to the previously obscure image.
Entertainment lawyer Kevin Casini Casini also said to Rolling Stone: “[It] really only serves to bring more attention to the lyrics that Drake finds offensive or objectionable. And I think the streaming numbers for the song will just go up again.”
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Drake’s filings are “pre-action” petitions that seek more information before a lawsuit is filed and he has no obligation to pursue an official complaint if he’s granted the information he’s asking for, so it remains to be seen what comes of this unprecedented legal battle.
