Drake is catching heat online after unexpectedly withdrawing a bombshell petition against Universal Music Group (UMG) and Spotify. However, the Toronto superstar has chosen to sidestep the backlash, instead sharing a series of cryptic Instagram posts without addressing the controversy.
On Tuesday evening (January 14) Drake took to his Instagram Stories to drop off a pair of selfies. In the first, Drizzy shows love to Dipset amid the ongoing drama between Cam’ron and Jim Jones.
Drake donned the Diplomats jacket Capo gifted him when he called him the “Official 5th member of Dipset,” following their guest appearance at his two Apollo Theater shows in January 2023.
“dips forever,” he wrote on the photo.
The second photo showed Drake crouching in a camouflage outfit with matching Timberland boots adorned with the Young Money logo.
He also shared another captionless photo, this time of Yung Lean.
Social Media Reacts To Drake Withdrawing UMG Petition
Drake shared the cryptic posts just hours after news broke that he officially withdrew one of his petitions against UMG and Spotify. The defamation petition against UMG and iHeart in Texas remains active.
He initially alleged that the industry giants conspired to inflate streaming figures for Kendrick Lamar’s iconic diss, “Not Like Us.” His legal team later clarified that no financial penalties would be imposed on any party following the withdrawal.
The move sparked feverish speculation about Drake’s motivations, with many online criticizing him for initiating legal action in the first place.
One person shared, “Drake fans told us last year this case would benefit every single artist in years to come just for him to pull out due to lack of evidence.”
Drake fans told us last year this case would benefit every single artist in years to come just for him to pull out due to lack of evidence 💀💀💀
— ry (@RyanNice) January 15, 2025
Another user claimed, “Drake did that petition to try and step on #GNX and it failed.”
If we being honest,
— PRINCE ANGELUS (@PRINCE_ANGELUS_) January 15, 2025
Drake did that petition to try and step on #GNX and it failed.
Check out some other reactions below.
so you mean to tell me drake went full on Karen mode and still f###### folded in the end……… pic.twitter.com/KJBAeXIRH5
— tino (@tiinoRB) January 15, 2025
Drake did all that for nothing. He never cared about making the "building safe for other artists". It was all to leverage another deal. He's accepted "Not Like Us" has tainted his legacy and will now operate without any morals. https://t.co/MTpxhNHQSj
— Cawb (@CAWBBBB) January 15, 2025
Hey remember how Drake fans were saying his lawsuit against UMG and Spotify was like when Michael Jackson was suing Sony and that he was doing it for the smaller artists and fighting against the machine?…
— Brian Costello (@BrianRCostello) January 15, 2025
…anyway, see y’all at the Super Bowl pic.twitter.com/Nci6zA4i7J
Drake has folded yet again in another battle & withdrawals his order.
— Whooping feet (@WhoopingFeet) January 15, 2025
But they said he was doing this for smaller artists lol he didn’t even let it get to the first court date before he folded
Can Drake come back after calling the boys 👮🏼 for losing a Rap Battle
Not Like Us pic.twitter.com/pfxX5ggru9
"Drake isn't going against UMG and Spotify just for himself, he's trying to help all independent artists…" pic.twitter.com/HkXj1hCAPk
— TisaNorwegian 🌠 #Atreides2028 (@MillyBeamen) January 15, 2025
Drake got a boost off battling the village idiot and then ran into two psychopaths. That's his fault he don't know how to adapt. https://t.co/GvJ5S7nW33
— TONY SNARK (@Yamscasino) January 13, 2025
This Drake/UMG situation is giving “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”. The boy SWORE Not Like Us #’s were inflated. I wouldn’t be shocked if UMG NOW starts to purposely mess with all his music in order to NOT give him his complete contract payout..it’s gonna spooky..
— Cue (@CueMcBoo) January 15, 2025
Drake fans arguing with folks who do this industry legal s### for a living and they still feel like they the smartest one in the room lol.
— Busby 🏁 (@MrBusby4o8) January 15, 2025
Drake has been through every stage of grief:
— ry (@RyanNice) January 15, 2025
Denial: “i never looked at no teenager”
Anger: “you beat Whitney!!!”
Bargaining: “what if the streams are bots?”
Depression: Adin Ross gambling stream
Acceptance: withdrawal of his legal case
Sure don’t buddy. Apparently Drake doesn’t either pic.twitter.com/zMvbwMArkV
— KoLo (@DreamChildKoLo) January 15, 2025