In the latest twist in the bruising beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, the Canadian rapper has taken legal action against Universal Music Group over allegations that the company conspired using Spotify to artificially inflate the popularity of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.”

The action is doubly surprising because UMG distributes the recordings of both artists.

In a lawsuit filed Monday in Manhattan District Court, first reported by Billboard, Drake’s Frozen Moments LLC accused UMG of launching an illegal “scheme” involving bots, payola and other methods to boost the numbers for Lamar’s viciously personal song , which accuses Drake of pedophilia and the already fiery dispute between the two artists.

The petition, obtained by Variety, alleges that UMG “engaged in conduct designed to artificially inflate the popularity of ‘Not Like Us’… including by licensing the song to Spotify at drastically reduced rates and using ‘bots’ to create the false impression imply that the song was more popular than it actually was.”

While other streaming services are not mentioned in the petition, it does claim that “UMG appears to have used similar tactics with other streaming services. Based on information and belief, UMG has made or authorized payments to Apple Inc. to have its voice-activated digital assistant ‘Siri’ deliberately mislead users into ‘Not Like Us’.”

“UMG did not rely on chance, or even on ordinary business practices,” the petition continues. “Instead, it launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves.”

Representatives for Drake, Lamar, Spotify and UMG declined or did not immediately respond Variety‘s requests for comment.

Drake’s lawyers claim that UMG violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, which is often used in criminal cases against organized crime (and was used to convict R. Kelly of sexual misconduct and other crimes in 2021). They also allege deceptive business practices and false advertising under New York state law.

As Billboard notes, Monday’s filing is not yet a full lawsuit, but a so-called “pre-action” petition — a procedure under New York law that aims to secure information before filing a lawsuit.

However, the move is extraordinary in a number of ways. Earlier this year, Lamar piled on a series of increasingly personal diss tracks against Drake, not only accusing him of having relationships with underage women – which Drake has denied – and having children that have not been revealed to the public, and has even He has gone so far as to address Drake’s son Adonis, his mother and others in his songs.

Drake released songs in response, but quickly deleted them from his socials and then went quiet. The unrest calmed after a man was shot outside Drake’s Toronto residence in May, but revived on Friday with the surprise release of Lamar’s new ‘GNX’ album.

However, he appeared to address the situation late on Sunday in a Kick stream with host xQc, introducing himself by saying: “I’m Drake, this is xQc, a true streaming legend. Me, I do music, in case you don’t know.

“I’m here,” he continued. “Completely intact, mind, body and soul, in case you were wondering. You need facts to take me down, fairy tales will not suffice,” he added, possibly referring to the upcoming legal action.

He made a similar statement later in the show, adding, “Nothing makes me uncomfortable. I’ve worked too hard to be uncomfortable. Nothing fazes me, like I said, it just takes facts to make me fall, fairy tales don’t work.

Variety will learn more about the situation as it develops.