*For the eighth consecutive year, Drake has been named Spotify’s most-streamed rapper globally and in the U.S., ranking just behind Taylor Swift overall.
Future, Metro Boomin, Kanye West, and Kendrick Lamar made the top 10, with the latter’s Drake diss track “Not Like Us” earning him Apple Music’s top spot, TMZ reports.
Meanwhile, we reported earlier that Drake is threatening legal action against Universal Music Group, alleging that the label “conspired” to artificially boost Lamar’s “Not Like Us” on Spotify, according to a pre-action petition submitted to a New York court.
According to a copy of the petition, obtained by CNN, the rapper claims that UMG “launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves” with Lamar’s song “in order to make that song go viral, including by using ‘bots’ and pay-to-play agreements.”
The song, part of what has become a very public feud between Lamar and the “Hotline Bling” rapper, debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 when it was released in May, according to Billboard. It has also amassed almost 900 million streams on Spotify to date, according to the petition.
Spotify’s Top 10 most streamed rap artists of 2024 Global 🏆
1. Drake
2. Travis Scott
3. Kanye West
4. Eminem
5. Kendrick Lamar
6. Future
7. Metro Boomin
8. 21 Savage
9. Playboi Carti
10. XXXTENTACION#SpotifyWrapped2024 pic.twitter.com/ugT8c5sJh5— Kurrco (@Kurrco) December 4, 2024
Drake also alleges UMG used these “bots,” which are essentially fake social media accounts, “to artificially inflate the spread of ‘Not Like Us’ and deceive consumers into believing the Song was more popular than it was in reality.”
Charlamagne Tha God crowned the singer the “Donkey of the Day” during the Dec. 2 broadcast of The Breakfast Club for his gripe against UMG. He noted that Drake is BIG MAD because Kendrick “kicked yo a** lyrically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally,” the radio host said.
“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,” a spokesperson for UMG told CNN in a statement. “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.”
*This article contains additional reporting from CNN.
READ MORE FROM EURWEB.COM: Drake Accuses Record Company (UMG) of Using Bots to ‘Artificially Inflate’ Kendrick Lamar’s song ‘Not Like Us’ on Spotify – UMG Responds | VIDEO
