When Kendrick Lamar released an unexpected album last week, music industry insiders thought they’d seen the biggest surprise this year for the Los Angeles-born superstar.
Then came shock Monday when Drake, Lamar’s Canadian label mate in a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, took a long-running feud between the two men to court with a move aimed at revealing how hits are created in modern industry and which could revive the decades-old “payola” scandal.
In two separate filings in New York and Texas, Drake’s lawyers alleged that their record company used “bots,” influencers and payment deals with national radio groups and streaming services to increase sales. popularity of Lamar’s hit “Not Like Us”. .
The song debuted at number one on the US charts, has been streamed over 900 million times on Spotify and earned several Grammy nominations. The song is also offensive against Drake, the latest salvo in a simmering feud between rappers signed to UMG offshoots: Lamar with Interscope and Drake with Republic.
So-called dissident tracks are not unusual in hip hop, with rappers using their music to attack rival artists in creative and offensive ways since the genre’s birth in the 1980s. But the decision to take the “beef” to court by suing his own label shocked the music industry.
“Rap battles and conflicts are as old as rap itself,” said Amanda Schupf, head of Max Music Management and Consulting. “But I don’t understand what the motivation is for this (legal action). I don’t see how this could end well for Drake. »
The move could have broad implications for the music industry, raising questions about the extent to which streaming services can decide who listens to what on their platforms, the role of paid social media in promoting tracks and whether hits can actually be “bought”. with the right support.
Drake’s case alleges that Universal could have stopped the release of a song “by falsely accusing him of being a sex offender” but instead chose “to incite consumer hysteria and, of course, massive income.”
“Pre-action motions” are not formal legal proceedings, but are intended to obtain information and preserve relevant documents and information before any future legal action.
In response to Drake’s decision, Universal said that “the suggestion that UMG would do anything to harm any of its artists is offensive and false”, and that it used “the highest ethical practices » in its marketing.
He added that “no artificial and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can obscure the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.”
Industry executives say Drake’s case will do little more than highlight the work of Lamar, whose surprise sixth studio album is expected to debut atop the Billboard 200 this week, although it was released without much fanfare . Some say the biggest impact will be a boost to the album’s launch — as well as streaming streams of “Not Like Us.”
THE legal action caps a memorable year for Lamar, cementing his place as one of this century’s leading hip-hop artists, notable both for his eclectic musical talents as well as his ability to examine race, fame and society.
While his rival Drake represents the pure commercial nature of rap music over the past decade, Lamar has taken a more cerebral route, earning praise for his lyricism on complex topics such as God, grief and racism in America .
Born in 1987 in Compton, the Los Angeles County city known for gang violence, drugs and deprivation that would become a hub for gangster rap, he described witnessing his first murder at age of five years.
Inspired by an English teacher to pursue poetry, by the time he was in high school he was determined to succeed as a rapper.
His big break came when pioneering rapper-producer Dr. Dre discovered him and signed him to Interscope, the renegade label built in the 1990s on the backs of Dre, Snoop Dogg and other California hip hop stars .
The platinum superstar released his first mixtape at the age of 16 and his debut album Section. 80 in 2011, but it was the following year good child, mAAd city album about his childhood in Compton which marked his breakthrough.
Lamar began the feud with Drake in 2013, releasing a track claiming, “I got love for y’all, but I’m trying to murder y’all.” . . I’m trying to make sure your core fans have never heard of you.”
Pimp a butterflyLamar’s jazz-inspired album in 2015 was a major critical success and in 2018 he won a Pulitzer Prize for his album CONDEMNa first for an artist outside the classical or jazz traditions.
Lamar has become a fashion and cultural icon in the United States, Harper’s Bazaar said in a interview directed by superstar collaborator SZA: “Information. I want everything. I want the resources. I want to meet people smarter than me. I want to talk to them. I want them to show me things. I just want to be fulfilled by everything this world has to offer. This shit turns me on.
He also now moves in broader business circles with PGLang, a Los Angeles creative communications company founded in 2020 and owned by Lamar and American filmmaker Dave Free.
The 37-year-old released his surprise album GNXnamed after the 1980s Buick car last Friday. It quickly caught fire on streaming services, generating nearly 300,000 album sales in its first week.
“I want to evolve, put my skills together as a black executive,” he raps on “heart pt. 6” on his new album. Drake released a Lamar diss track titled “The Heart Part 6” earlier this year.
After annoying his peers by complaining that fellow rapper “Nas (was) the only one congratulating me” on his new album, Lamar is set to headline the Super Bowl LIX halftime show, and many are already speculating about what the latest twist in the feud will bring. means for the whole.
One thing’s for sure, Drake won’t be there to watch. The Canadian star has already revealed plans that evening for his next show, which will take place hundreds of miles and across multiple time zones in Australia.
