Drake Named in Class Action Lawsuit Over Alleged Spotify Streaming Fraud
Drake’s legal challenges continue to grow as the Toronto-born superstar has been named in a new class action lawsuit that accuses Spotify of ignoring large-scale streaming fraud. The case, filed by veteran rapper RBX, claims that a significant portion of Drake’s record-breaking 122 billion streams were generated through fake accounts and bots.
RBX, a cousin of Snoop Dogg known for his work with Dr. Dre and Eminem, argues that Spotify “turned a blind eye” to “mass-scale fraudulent streaming” that allegedly inflated Drake’s numbers. According to the filing obtained by Rolling Stone, the practice caused “massive financial harm to legitimate artists, songwriters, producers, and rightsholders.”
While Drake is named in the complaint as a key beneficiary, he is not listed as a defendant. Spotify is the only party accused of wrongdoing.
The lawsuit claims that between January 2022 and September 2025, Drake’s Spotify streams showed patterns consistent with bot activity and artificial manipulation. RBX points to “voluminous information” showing that many streams appeared to come from networks of fake accounts using VPNs to disguise their locations.
The suit cites a four-day period in 2024 during which 250,000 streams of Drake’s track “No Face” were recorded in Turkey but were allegedly re-routed through VPNs to appear as if they originated in the United Kingdom. RBX further claims that “a large percentage” of streams came from regions with populations too small to support the reported volumes, and in some cases, from areas with “zero residential addresses.”
A Spotify spokesperson dismissed the claims, stating the company “in no way benefits from the industry-wide challenge of artificial streaming.” The statement added that Spotify invests heavily in systems designed to detect and eliminate fraudulent activity, remove fake streams, withhold illegitimate royalties, and penalize offenders.
The company referenced a previous case in which a fraud operation had stolen $10 million from multiple streaming services, but only $60,000 originated from Spotify. This, the company said, demonstrated the platform’s effectiveness in limiting manipulation. Spotify declined to comment further, citing ongoing litigation.
Drake has not publicly addressed the lawsuit. The OVO Sound founder recently faced his own legal setback when his lawsuit against Universal Music Group was dismissed by a federal judge in New York. That case alleged defamation and streaming manipulation related to Kendrick Lamar’s viral diss track “Not Like Us.”
The judge ruled in favor of Universal, finding that the song did not constitute defamation under U.S. law. Drake has since filed a notice of appeal, indicating plans to challenge the ruling.
The lawsuit highlights growing scrutiny of streaming platforms and the accuracy of reported numbers. Artificial streaming through bots and click farms has become a pressing issue, with billions of fake plays believed to distort revenue distribution and chart performance. Analysts estimate that up to 10 percent of global music streams may be inauthentic, costing the industry hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
If successful, RBX’s lawsuit could set a new legal precedent for how streaming fraud is handled and how platforms like Spotify are held accountable for verifying the legitimacy of streams. For now, both Spotify and Drake remain under the spotlight as the music industry watches closely for the outcome of this case.
