By Daniel Trotta
(Reuters) - Drake has escalated his dispute with fellow rap superstar Kendrick Lamar, filing a pair of court notices warning of legal action against major music companies for what Drake called manipulative promotion of Lamar's megahit "Not Like Us."
The record-breaking "diss" track "Not Like Us" released this year suggests Drake is a sex offender with lyrics such as, "Drake, I hear you like 'em young," and references to a "certified pedophile" and a "predator."
Drake, using his given name Aubrey Drake Graham, filed a petition in Bexar County District Court in Texas on Monday serving notice to music giants iHeartMedia (NASDAQ:IHRT) and Universal Music Group (AS:UMG), accusing UMG of scheming to turn "Not Like Us" into a viral hit at the expense of Drake, a fellow UMG artist.
Universal Music Group denied it undermined Drake or that it used unethical practices to market Lamar's song, saying in a statement that Drake's accusations were "contrived and absurd legal arguments."
Representatives of iHeartMedia, which is based in San Antonio, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Drake's company Frozen Moments filed a similar action in New York Supreme Court against Universal and Spotify (NYSE:SPOT) on Monday, accusing Universal of using payola and other manipulative practices to promote "Not Like Us."
Spotify did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
As in Texas, the New York case is not a formal lawsuit but a notice that a suit could be forthcoming.
Drake alleged in the New York filing that UMG "launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate" streaming services like Spotify to help "Not Like Us" go viral, "including by using 'bots' and pay-to-play agreements."
"Streaming and licensing is a zero-sum game," Drake's filing said. "Every time a song 'breaks through,' it means another artist does not. UMG's choice to saturate the music market with 'Not Like Us' comes at the expense of its other artists, like Drake."
Universal, whose division Interscope Records represents Lamar, contested the allegations in a statement.
"The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue," the statement said. "We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns. 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."
The two onetime collaborators began feuding after Lamar's bravado on a 2013 track called out Drake and several other big names in the genre, rapping, "I got love for you all, but I'm trying to murder you ... Trying to make sure your core fans never heard of you." Seemingly minor at first, the dispute has intensified over the years.