Canadian rapper Drake has settled the legal action he took against iHeartMedia when he accused them of payola for playing his rival, Kendrick Lamar’s song, “Not Like Us,” in their record-setting rap battle.
According to The Associated Press, the action, filed in November in a Bexar County, Texas courtroom, alleged that iHeartMedia received money from Universal Music Group (UMG) to generate more radio airplay for the song “Not Like Us.” The undisclosed settlement was filed Feb. 27.
Drake’s attorneys stated that the rapper and iHeartMedia had “reached an amicable resolution of the dispute” without giving details about what action was taken or whether a financial agreement was reached regarding the intended lawsuit.
“We are pleased that the parties were able to reach a settlement satisfactory to both sides, and have no further comment on this matter,” his attorneys said in a written statement.
- This settlement has no bearing on Drake’s current lawsuit against his and Lamar’s distribution label, UMG.
In January, Drake filed a lawsuit accusing UMG of defamation and claiming they promoted the Lamar recording that gave the “false and malicious narrative” of the October’s Very Own (OVO) label owner of being a pedophile. That case was filed in federal court in New York City Jan. 15, based on reporting from TMZ.
The New York Times reported that he also accused the label of having “approved, published, and launched a campaign to create a viral hit out of a rap track.” In the singing rapper’s lawsuit, he claims this was done to devalue his worth for his upcoming contract negotiations with UMG. Although Lamar wrote the “inflammatory and shocking allegations” in the song, he is not suing the rapper for writing and performing the lyrics.
Lamar recently won five Grammy Awards for “Not Like Us.” The record, after several songs between the two going at each other in their feud, has been labeled the biggest rap diss track ever.
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