Universal Music Group has responded to Drake’s claims that the music corporation allegedly partnered with Spotify to artificially boost the streams of Billboard chart-topping Kendrick Lamar's single “Not Like Us.”

On Monday, November 25, three days following the release of Kendrick Lamar’s sixth album, GNX, Drake filed a lawsuit against UMG via Frozen Moments LLC, alleging that that record company enacted a “scheme” to promote the Mustard-produced song via payola, bots, and other techniques. Drake's attorneys additionally claim that UMG violated the federal law RICO, known as the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, which is frequently applied in criminal cases involving organized crime. In accordance with New York state law, UMG has also been accused of fraudulent promotion and misleading business activities.

“UMG did not rely on chance, or even ordinary business practices,” attorneys for Drake wrote, according to Billboard. “It instead launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves.”

“Not Like Us” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent 24 weeks atop the Hot Rap Songs chart, breaking a record previously set by 2019 Lil Nas X hit “Old Town Road.” On Spotify, “Not Like Us” currently has over 900 million streams.

Hours after the filing, UMG responded in a company statement issued to Billboard, claiming that the “suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue.”

“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 company wrote.

“Not Like Us,” which was released in May, during the height of Kendrick and Drake’s diss track feud, was distributed by UMG’s Interscope Records, which also licenses Kendrick’s multimedia company, pgLang. Drake’s filing comes as a shocking turn in his feud with Kendrick, as he’s been an artist on the UMG roster throughout his mainstream career, first as an act on Young Money Entertainment, which was distributed by Republic Records, and then signing directly to Republic.