**Drake Intensifies Legal Battle Over Kendrick Lamar’s Controversial Track**

Drake's pre-action petition accuses Universal of defamation and promoting Lamar's song while knowing it contained false allegations against him.

In an ongoing feud that shows no signs of resolution, Drake has escalated his legal fight against Universal Music by filing a second legal action over Kendrick Lamar’s song “Not Like Us.” Released amid their high-profile discord, the track has drawn accusations from Drake, who alleges that Universal is guilty of defamation by allowing a song that supposedly brands him a “sex offender” to flourish. His legal team contends that Universal had the means to prevent the release but instead implicated the rapper in a deliberate strategy to maximize the track’s commercial success, citing a “plan” aimed at generating consumer frenzy and lucrative profits.

Following an initial filing in New York that already targeted Universal for allegedly manipulating Spotify’s algorithms to boost the song's visibility, this latest petition was submitted in Texas. It also implicates iHeartRadio, a major radio operator in the U.S., suggesting that the artists’ song was played over 25 million times on their platforms shortly after its release. Drake's attorneys allege that covert payments may have swayed iHeart’s promotional efforts in a “pay-to-play” initiative, a claim they admit remains unverified.

Universal Music has responded firmly, dismissing Drake's allegations as “offensive and untrue” and insisting on adherence to ethical marketing standards. They argue that the music industry’s success is driven by audience choice rather than orchestrated schemes. Nevertheless, Drake’s documents call into question the legitimacy of streaming numbers for “Not Like Us,” alleging that Universal used “bots” to inflate its listener statistics and pay influencers to generate hype for the contentious track.

The song is noted for its critical response to Drake in their long-standing rivalry and has since become a well-discussed topic among fans and industry professionals alike. With Grammy nominations and a number-one debut on the U.S. charts, “Not Like Us” stands as a seemingly pivotal moment in both artists' careers. In retaliation, Drake released a track entitled “The Heart Part 6,” where he refuted claims made by Lamar, later withdrawing the track from social media. The interplay between the two rappers, both tied to Universal’s subsidiary labels, continues to fuel speculation and intrigue within the hip-hop community.