Did Kendrick Lamar or UMG Remove 'Not Like Us' Copyright?

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While Kendrick Lamar is basking in the glory of the release of his new GNX album, he is also surrounded by controversy. On Monday (Nov. 25), his nemesis Drake filed not one but two pre-action petitions accusing Universal Music Group of conspiring with Spotify and iHeartRadio to artificially inflate Kendrick's "Not Like Us" numbers by using bots and payola. One claim in the court filings accuses UMG of removing the copyright restictions on "Not Like Us" as a tactic to foster the spread of the track. A move that was previously thought to have been done on K-Dot's part so content creators could monetize videos using the song.

Drake's initial 17-page court filing includes many shocking claims, including the allegation that UMG provided under-the-table payments to platforms to promote "Not Like Us" to his detriment. One way Drake's lawyers claim UMG boosted the track was by removing restrictions that would not allow people to monetize videos using the song on social media and streaming platforms like YouTube and TikTok.

"And in a sea-change for UMG’s internal policy, UMG removed the Song’s copyright restrictions on YouTube and Twitch, thereby 'whitelisting' the Song (for the first time in UMG history), which further incentivized influencers to spread the Song," Drake lawyers write in the court filing.

This calls into question a move that was initially seen to be as altruistic on Dot's part. Back in May, Kendrick was getting props from reaction video makers. Streamer NoLifeShaq praised Kendrick for allowing streamers like him to use the song without getting flagged.

"Everybody was able to eat off this beef," NoLifeShaq said in a livestrem in May. "And for Kendrick Lamar to double back and think about the reaction community and remove all copyrights from the song, Kendrick Lamar is a W mans."

Drake also reportedly removed copyright restrictions on his diss songs in a similar move. However, it is also unclear if he personally made the change. Both Drake and Kendrick are under the UMG umbrella with Kendrick being distributed through Interscope and Drake being signed with Republic.

Universal Music Group is denying Drake's accusations of collusion. A spokesperson for the company has released the following statement to XXL in response to Drake's claims: "The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue," the statement reads. "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."

XXL has reached out to UMG and Kendrick Lamar's team for comment about the copyright removal.