Spotify Calls Drake's Allegations 'Far-Fetched' in Kendrick Lamar Streaming Controversy

The Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar feud seems to have hit another bump, with Spotify firmly standing its ground. The music streaming giant has strongly refuted Drake’s allegations that they played a role in propelling Kendrick’s diss track “Not Like Us” to chart-topping heights.

Let's take a step back for a moment. In November, Drake threw a fit and filed a petition accusing Spotify and Universal Music Group (UMG) of engaging in dubious practices. He claimed they employed bots, payola, and other tactics to inflate Kendrick’s track's popularity, and Drake made this clear in a legal submission last month.

Someone's not pleased. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

However, Spotify is firmly denying these claims. In their legal response, they declared: “Spotify and UMG have never engaged in such practices,” as reported by Billboard.

The most intriguing part? Spotify’s legal team is essentially dismissing Drake’s accusations as baseless. They argue his petition relies “solely on conjecture… or claims made by unidentified internet sources.” Ouch.

Drake’s lawyers shot back, asserting: “It’s no surprise that Spotify is attempting to distance itself from UMG’s alleged manipulative tactics to artificially boost streaming figures.” Big accusations are flying, and I’m here for it.

The streaming statistics paint an intriguing picture. “Not Like Us” has garnered 914 million plays on Spotify, whereas Drake’s own diss track “Family Matters” has accumulated just 122 million streams. If Spotify’s being truthful, it seems fans have spoken, and they’re grooving to Kendrick’s beats.

Here are the tracks, in case you want to listen for yourself:

UMG’s statement sums it up: “No amount of fabricated and ludicrous legal arguments in this preliminary submission can obscure the fact that fans choose the music they want to listen to.”

It appears Drake might have to accept this defeat and move on. The hip-hop public has already rendered its judgment, and it’s not in his favor.

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