![Funk Flex Backs Up Drake's Payola Allegations: '[He] Is 100% Right!'](https://app.hiphopdx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/funk-flex-backs-up-drake-payola-allegations.jpg?w=1200)
Funkmaster Flex has co-signed Drake‘s claim that artists and record labels are paying radio stations for airplay.
Drizzy sent shockwaves through the industry this week with two legal filings against Universal Music Group, accusing the music giant of engaging in payola and using streaming bots to artificially boost the popularity of Kendrick Lamar‘s hit diss song “Not Like Us.”
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Reacting to the unprecedented move, the veteran Hot 97 DJ backed up Drake’s payola allegations by writing on X (formerly Twitter): “DRAKE IS 100% RIGHT! NATIONAL PLAY! (PER SONG) DRAKE DONT $ FOR PLAY!”
Flex then broke down how much it allegedly costs to get played on various radio formats: “POP / CHR RADIO: $350k. URBAN RADIO: $250K. MIXSHOW: $100K. LOCAL MIXSHOW DIRECTOR: $40k. LOCAL DJ: $3K-5K PER SONG! (DJS ON THE RADIO 5 DAYS A WEEK).
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“THIS IS WHY INDEPENDENT ARTIST DONT RISE TO THE TOP! ALL YOU ARTIST KNOW I AINT NEVER TAKE A DIME FROM YOU, YOUR MANAGER OR YOUR LABELS! (BOMB HAS NO PRICE).”
The famed New York radio host continued his all-caps rant on Instagram, writing: “HAHAHAHA! SOME DJS BEEN TAKING PAYOLA TO PLAY SONGS! I CANT WAIT TO SEE HOW THIS TRICKLES DOWN! ( I BEEN WAITING FOR THIS).
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“DRAKE IS NOT LYING! THERE ARE BACK DOOR ‘DEALS’ UNDER THE TABLE WITH DJS! SHOULD I NAME NAMES? I CAN IF YOU NEED ME TOO?”
He continued: “DJS ARE SUPPOSED TO PLAY A SONG BECAUSE ITS HOT! MUSIC INDUSTRY WILL BLACKBALL ME FOR THIS BUT THAT OK! (NEEDS TO BE SAID) THIS ISNT ABOUT KENDRICK… HE HAS AN AMAZING SONG! PAY FOR PLAY GOTTA STOP!”
In his legal filings, Drake accuses UMG of paying commercial radio stations to play “Not Like Us” without making it clear that money had been exchanged.
He did not specifically cite which radio stations he claims were paid by the music conglomerate or the amounts of money purportedly exchanged, but one of his filings seeks a deposition from executives at iHeartMedia.
The media giant owns and operates a vast number of radio stations across the U.S. and while the filing does not name any specific station, it states that Drake believes they were party to the plot.
As a result of UMG’s scheme to turn “Not Like Us” into a mega-hit, the Toronto rapper claims he has “suffered economic harm.” He is also accusing the company, to which both he and Kendrick are signed through their respective labels, of defamation by releasing a song that accuses him of being a pedophile.
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UMG has denied his claims of engaging in payola and inflating streams, saying in a statement: “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.
“No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.”
