Rapper Drake has dropped a legal petition against streaming giant Spotify and Universal Music Group which claimed the companies conspired to boost streaming numbers for his rival Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us.” The Canadian musician had initially filed the action in November, saying that UMG “engaged in conduct designed to artificially inflate the popularity of ‘Not Like Us’ … including by licensing the song at drastically reduced rates to Spotify and using ‘bots’ to generate the false impression that the song was more popular than it was in reality.” But Variety now reports that Drake has had a change of heart, with a Tuesday court filing reportedly showing he has withdrawn his pre-action petition. The document, filed in New York Supreme Court, showed that Spotify, which previously filed an opposition, had no objection to the withdrawal while UMG, who distributes both Drake and Lamar’s music, reserved its position. A related case filed in Texas against UMG and iHeartRadio remains active.
