Jeremy Hecht, a content creator and journalist, has claimed that global superstar Drake used his video in a legal move against Universal Music Group (UMG). On November 26, 2024, Jeremy Hecht took to his X account to share a detailed video in which he claimed that the Canadian rapper used an old video from July 2024 of his in a legal action against UMG.
In the video, Hecht recounts a moment when he interacted with Siri, asking the voice assistant to play Certified Lover Boy by Drake, only for Siri to play Not Like Us by Kendrick Lamar.
Hecht further explained that he had also tested Siri by asking for different songs using only their lyrics, and Siri was able to correctly recognize and play the requested tracks. However, Hecht pointed out that the pre-action lawsuit, which allegedly includes his video, did not reference these additional instances of Siri’s song recognition.
This revelation has sparked a wave of reactions across the internet, as fans on X shared memes and comments and showed frustration over the pre-action lawsuit.
“How’s it feel to be etched in history?😂,” one commented.
Some X users have suggested that the pre-action lawsuit deliberately excluded that part of the interaction and expressed disbelief that an easily correctable issue is being blown out of proportion or misrepresented.
“Of course they didn’t include that part…and they act as if a person can’t immediately realize the wrong song was pulled up and simply search for the correct that they want 🤦🏾♀️,” a netizen commented.
“they literally have no evidence,” another commented.
“Are they dumb 🥺💀,” a third commented.
However, some X users humorously asked Jeremy Hecht whether the lawsuit was filed in response to his video, where he demonstrated Siri suggesting the wrong song.
“Jeremy, you mean to tell me this lawsuit is all your fault 😂..,” one user commented.
“Did Drake hired SpongeBob as his lawyer..😂,” another commented.
“Lawsuit smoked 🤣🤣🤣 Or pre petition smoked because ain’t no way they think this will get the results he needs,” one more user on X.
As of now, Drake has not commented on Jeremy Hecht’s claim regarding the video, nor has Hecht addressed the reactions online.
Drake accuses UMG and Spotify of inflating Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us streams
According to a Billboard report on November 25, Drake’s Frozen Moments LLC filed a petition accusing Universal Music Group of orchestrating an illegal scheme to artificially inflate the popularity of Kendrick Lamar’s song Not Like Us using bots, payola, and other methods.
The legal team also claimed that UMG charged licensing rates for Not Like Us that were 30 percent lower than their standard rates.
“UMG charged Spotify licensing rates 30 percent lower than its usual licensing rates for “Not Like Us” in exchange for Spotify affirmatively recommending the Song to users who are searching for other unrelated songs and artists,” the legal team wrote.
Furthermore, Drizzy’s legal team indicated that neither UMG nor Spotify have disclosed the compensation they got in response to recommending Lamar’s song. Also, the lawsuit alleges that UMG deliberately took actions beyond standard business strategies and unfairly influenced the reach of Not Like Us.
In response, UMG spokesperson James Murtagh-Hopkins denied the allegations, stating that the suggestion that UMG would undermine any of its artists is “offensive” and “untrue.”
“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,” the spokesperson said.
As the legal proceedings continue, it is not known what the ruling would be regarding these claims. Also, Kendrick Lamar has not yet commented on the allegations.
Edited by Shreya Das
