Drake has officially withdrawn his legal action against Universal Music Group and Spotify after accusing the music giants of scheming to illegally inflate Kendrick Lamar‘s “Not Like Us.”
In a surprise twist in the bombshell legal saga, the Toronto rapper and his company Frozen Moments filed legal paperwork in New York on Tuesday (January 14) informing the court that they were withdrawing the petition, which requested information from the two companies for a potential future lawsuit.
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The filing, which has been viewed by HipHopDX, notes that Drake and/or his representative(s) “met and conferred with [UMG and Spotify] on January 14, 2025 regarding this filing.”
It says Spotify, which previously filed an opposition to the petition, responded by expressing “no objection to the withdrawal and discontinuance.”
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UMG, which did not submit a legal response to Drake’s initial filing, “reserved its position.”
The action was also withdrawn “without costs to any party,” according to the document. No reason was cited for Drake’s decision to withdraw.
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Last November, the 6 God accused UMG — the parent company of both his and Kendrick Lamar’s respective record labels) of using streaming bots and payola to artifically boost the popularity of Kendrick’s chart-topping diss track, “Not Like Us.”
The petition was not an actual lawsuit but rather a pre-action petition to determine whether it was worth filing an official complaint.
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UMG denied any wrongdoing, saying in a statement: “The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue. 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.”
Spotify also maintained its innocence, claiming that they never had an illicit “arrangement” with UMG to give “Not Like Us” a leg-up nor did they engage in any “deceptive practices.”
Another petition filed against UMG and iHeartMedia in Texas, containing similar payola allegations regarding “Not Like Us,” remains active.
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Drake has yet to comment on his withdrawal of the UMG and Spotify petition, while Kendrick Lamar has never publicly commented on the legal dispute.
A court hearing in the Texas case is scheduled for January 28, barring any withdrawal or settlement.
