The internet never forgets, as Nicki Minaj’s 2018 tweets about Drake and Spotify have now resurfaced.
Minaj’s old thoughts about the music platform have been unearthed amid Drizzy’s ongoing feud with Universal Music Group (UMG) and the digital streaming platform.
Back when Drizzy dropped Scorpion, Spotify went all out, plastering his face across their various playlists. He even reportedly appeared on ones where his music didn’t make sense, such as “Best of British,” “Massive Dance Hits,” and “Fresh Gospel.” The promo from Spotify actually helped Drake to push 732,000 first-week units—but apparently Nicki wasn’t buying it.
She aired out her frustrations with Spotify at the time, as she felt her Queen album didn’t receive the same treatment.
“Spotify put Drake’s face on every playlist but told me they’d have to teach me a lesson for playing my music 10 mins early on #QueenRadio. Even tho they’ve been giving away my music for free for years & I am one of the top Spotify artists of all time.”
X/NickiMinaj
Fast forward, and Nicki’s words are hitting a little different, as Drake has taken aim at UMG and Spotify in a series of legal filings. He’s accused the label of using shady tactics, bots and payola to boost Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us.”
According to Drake’s claims, UMG cut Spotify a licensing discount for the song and allegedly paid to inflate its streams.
“UMG … conspired with and paid currently unknown parties to use ‘bots’ to artificially inflate the spread of ‘Not Like Us’ and deceive consumers,” Drake’s legal team alleges. He also accused UMG of defamation, as K. Dot’s diss includes lyrics that suggests the Toronto star is a “pedophile.”
Social media was quick to repost Nicki Minaj’s old rant with new thoughts. One person said, “This woman never lies about what’s going on in the music industry. Ever,” as another called out Drake’s alleged hypocrisy for not supporting Nicki back then. “And this why idgaf bout Drake feelings!! Bi**h, you let my sister BURN,” they wrote.
UMG has denied any wrongdoing as Kendrick’s “Not Like Us” continues to soar, and his latest album GNX reaches No. 1 on the Billboard 200. In a statement to Billboard, UMG called the allegations “absurd,” adding, “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.”
Spotify has yet to address Drake’s claims.
Nicki—who has voiced her opinions on the shadiness of the music business in the past—may have been ahead of her time. Perhaps, Drake is now understanding where she was coming from.
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