Drake reaches settlement with iHeartMedia in dispute over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us”
HOUSTON— Drake has reached a settlement with Texas-based iHeartMedia in his ongoing authorized dispute over Kendrick Lamar’s diss observe “Not Like Us,” in keeping with court docket information.
In November, Drake filed a authorized petition in Bexar County, Texas, the place San Antonio is situated, alleging that iHeartMedia had acquired unlawful funds from Common Music Group to spice up radio airplay for “Not Like Us.” UMG is the dad or mum file label for each Drake and Lamar.
The petition, a precursor to a possible lawsuit, had sought depositions from company representatives of each corporations.
In a court docket doc filed Thursday, attorneys for Drake mentioned the rapper and iHeartMedia had “reached an amicable decision of the dispute” however didn’t supply every other info.
“We’re happy that the events have been in a position to attain a settlement passable to either side, and don’t have any additional touch upon this matter,” Drake’s authorized workforce mentioned in a press release.
In an e mail Friday, iHeartMedia declined to touch upon the settlement.
The claims towards UMG stay energetic, and a listening to on a movement by UMG’s legal professionals to dismiss the petition was scheduled to be held Wednesday in a San Antonio courtroom.
Drake has alleged UMG engaged in “irregular and inappropriate enterprise practices” to get radio airplay for “Not Like Us.” The petition additionally alleges that UMG knew “the track itself, in addition to its accompanying album artwork and music video, attacked the character of one other one in every of UMG’s most outstanding artists, Drake, by falsely accusing him of being a intercourse offender, participating in pedophilic acts, harboring intercourse offenders, and committing different felony sexual acts.”
An e mail to a UMG consultant looking for remark was not instantly answered.
In January, Drake filed a defamation lawsuit in federal court docket in New York Metropolis towards UMG over what he alleges are false allegations of pedophilia made in “Not Like Us.” Lamar just isn’t named within the lawsuit.
The feud between Drake, a 38-year-old Canadian rapper and singer and five-time Grammy winner, and Lamar, a 37-year-old Pulitzer Prize winner who headlined the Tremendous Bowl halftime present on Feb. 9, is among the many greatest in hip-hop lately.
The Federal Communications Fee despatched a letter Monday to iHeartMedia’s CEO and chairman, Robert Pittman, saying the fee is trying into whether or not the audio firm is forcing musicians to carry out at its Could nation music pageant in Austin for lowered pay in trade for favorable airplay of their songs on iHeart radio stations.
“We stay up for demonstrating to the Fee how performing on the iHeartCountry Pageant – or declining to take action – has no bearing on our stations’ airplay,” iHeart Media mentioned in a press release. “We don’t make any overt or covert agreements about airplay with artists acting at our occasions.”
