Drake has seemingly run out of rappers to battle with, so now he's taking on record labels. The 6 God decided to file a petition against Universal Music Group on Monday, November 25. The petition claimed that UMG partnered with Spotify to boost the sales and visibility of Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us," all the while failing to put the same effort and promotion behind Drake's music. It was definitely surprising, but those who have been following Drake's career know this label tension is nothing new.
Fans combed through the 6 God's Twitter, and discovered a post made on June 23, 2011. For album based context, a handful of months before the release of Drake's iconic album, Take Care. The 6 God made it very clear, even back then, that he was frustrated with the way that Universal Music Group was handling the release and promotion of his music. Drake also voiced frustration with the fact that UMG was taking down songs the rapper posted for free on Soundcloud. "Universal needs to stop taking my f**king songs down," he wrote. "I am doing this for the people not for your label."
Drake Also Alluded To UMG On His IG Burner
The resurfaced content didn't stop there, though. Fans also pointed to an Instagram Story made on Drake's burner account a few months ago. The rapper alluded to his "100 Gigs" drop, and what could come of it if the model of releasing content straight to the fans proved successful. "If his 100 Gigs is a huge success, our building will collapse and you will be crushed." Fans have taken this meme, which was posted without any context, to mean that Drake was trying to find ways to circumvent the UMG machine.
The complications that arose from the "100 Gigs" drop support this theory. Drake released three new songs to DSPs under the "100 Gigs" banner, but they were quickly taken down by UMG. They were put back on Spotify and Apple Music, but only after several days. It appears Drake has been bucking against the machine for years. It has finally bubbled to the surface, and it'll be fascinating to see where things go for both him and the label.