Spotify has gone to court with a denial about an arrangement to inflate streams of Kendrick Lamar's hit single “Not Like Us.”

According to a “Billboard” report, Spotify called the allegations “false” pertaining to Drake suing the music platform and Universal Music Group over an alleged “scheme” of bots and payola being used to boost the popularity of Kendrick’s song. In a motion filed on Friday, December 20, Spotify refuted the bot allegation and claimed that a partnership with UMG wasn’t made.

“The predicate of Petitioner’s entire request for discovery from Spotify is false,” Spotify attorneys wrote. “Spotify and UMG have never had any such arrangement.”

In the petition, Drake is often criticized for filing against Spotify, calling his allegations of a conspiracy "speculative" and "far-fetched." Concerns were also raised about the alleged participation of Spotify, as the company called themselves a "stranger" to the "long-running feud" between Drake, Kendrick, and UMG.

“What petitioner is seeking to do here … is to bypass the normal pleading requirements … and obtain by way of pre-action discovery that which it would only be entitled to seek were it to survive a motion to dismiss,” the filing continued. “This subversion of the normal judicial process should be rejected.”

But in a statement to “Billboard,” Drake’s legal representatives at Willkie Farr & Gallagher said that it was “not surprising that Spotify is trying to distance themselves from UMG’s allegedly manipulative practices to artificially inflate streaming numbers on behalf of one of its other artists.”

They continued, “If Spotify and UMG have nothing to hide then they should be perfectly fine complying with this basic discovery request.”

Drake claimed in court last month that UMG had violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). Following his accusation of Spotify taking part in the alleged scheme, he issued a similar lawsuit in Texas, claiming that UMG had legally defamed him by releasing "Not Like Us," which “falsely” labeled him a “sex offender.” The New York Supreme Court is reportedly scheduled to hear Drake's lawsuit against UMG and Spotify on January 16, 2025.