(FILE) - US rapper Drake poses with his awards in the press room of the 2017 Billboard Music Awards at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, 21 May 2017 (reissued 10 July 2018). According to reports from 10 July 2018, all 25 tracks of Drake's current album 'Scorpion' have made it to the 'Billboard Hot 100' charts. Drake has seven tracks in the Top Ten at the same time, which breaks a record held by The Beatles of five tracks in the Top Ten. EPA-EFE/NINA PROMMER By Daniel Trotta
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 IHRT.O and Universal Music Group UMG.AS, 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 SPOT.N 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.
(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Sonali Paul)