Drake’s recent lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) has backfired, unintentionally boosting Kendrick Lamar’s song “Not Like Us.”
The lawsuit, which accuses UMG of using streaming bots and payola to artificially inflate the popularity of Kendrick’s diss track, has resulted in a 440% increase in sales and a 20% rise in streams for the song. Since the lawsuit was filed on November 25th, “Not Like Us” has climbed the charts on Apple Music and Spotify, even making notable gains on Spotify’s global chart.
Industry experts have cautioned Drake that his legal action may be doing more harm than good.
While Drake argues that UMG defamed him by releasing the song, which accuses him of being a pedophile, the lawsuit has drawn more attention to the track. This has led some to suggest the situation is an example of the Streisand effect, where attempts to suppress something only end up amplifying it.
Entertainment lawyer Kevin Casini speculated that Drake’s legal filings could result in even more streams for “Not Like Us.”
While the lawsuit’s filings are currently “pre-action” petitions seeking information before potentially filing a full lawsuit, the surge in Kendrick Lamar’s song popularity and the backlash against Drake’s strategy have highlighted the unpredictable nature of legal and promotional battles in the music industry.
