With the recent Drake lawsuit against UMG over Kendrick Lamar promotion fans remember a Nicki Minaj tweet in 2018.

Nicki Minaj raised concerns about the perceived preferential treatment Drake received on Spotify in 2018. Her comments came during the release period of her album Queen, which debuted on August 10, 2018. During this time, Minaj was vocal about what she viewed as unfair promotional practices by Spotify and other platforms, particularly in comparison to how her album and singles were promoted versus Drake’s projects.

SCORPION VS. QUEEN

Earlier that year, Drake had released his massively successful album Scorpion (June 29, 2018). It broke streaming records and dominated Spotify playlists, with tracks like “In My Feelings” and “God’s Plan” becoming viral hits.

Minaj alleged that Spotify heavily promoted Drake by placing his music at the forefront of major playlists and giving his content more visibility. She felt that this overshadowed other artists, including herself, who were also releasing significant projects. Minaj criticized Spotify for not giving Queen the same level of attention, despite her being a prominent artist with a major release.

NICKI MINAJ FRUSTRATIONS WITH MUSIC PLATFORMS

She also pointed out that Drake, who had an exclusive partnership with Apple Music, still received prominent placement on Spotify playlists, while she felt her music was sidelined due to her affiliations.

Minaj’s frustrations were part of a larger debate about streaming platforms and their role in shaping music consumption. Playlisting and algorithmic promotion have significant impacts on chart performance and public perception, and artists often feel they are competing for visibility in an increasingly crowded space.

This situation highlighted the challenges artists face in navigating the influence of streaming platforms, especially when some artists appear to receive preferential treatment due to their commercial appeal or existing partnerships.

KENDRICK LAMAR DROPPED NEW ALBUM GNX

Lamar dropped GNX as his sixth studio album by surprise for fans on Friday afternoon. Across the tracklist, he collaborates with Dody6, Roddy Ricch, Siete7x, SZA, and YoungThreat, among others. On the production side, he worked with Sounwave, Jack Antonoff, Mustard, and more. Check out Wack 100’s full thoughts on Drake’s UMG lawsuit below.