The rapper, who is the most streamed rapper on Spotify, sponsored a petition which alleged that UMG and Spotify plotted to inflate streaming figures for Kendrick Lamar’s diss track ‘Not Like Us’ which was directed at him.
The petition was suddenly withdrawn in a New York filing on Tuesday, January 14.
This sparked intense speculations online with fans and critics questioning the rapper’s motives. His team, however, clarified that no financial penalties would follow the withdrawal.
Taking to X, a fan wrote:
Drake did all that for nothing. He never cared about making the “building safe for other artists”. It was all to leverage another deal. He’s accepted “Not Like Us” has tainted his legacy and will now operate without any morals.
Another X user wrote:
This Drake/UMG situation is giving “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”. The boy SWORE Not Like Us #’s were inflated. I wouldn’t be shocked if UMG NOW starts to purposely mess with all his music in order to NOT give him his complete contract payout..it’s gonna spooky.
Despite the backlash, Drake chose not to address the news directly. Instead, he shared cryptic posts via his Instagram, including two selfies.
In one, he paid homage to the Dipset group, donning an American flag-designed jacket on a pair of blue baggy jeans.
