The year starts with a RICO charge for one of hip-hop’s biggest names. Last year was a battle for Canadian-born rap star Drake. Mostly because he decided to join a rap beef with the only rapper in history to have won a Pulitzer Prize (a bad idea), Kendrick Lamar. The battle escalated further when Drake filed a lawsuit accusing Universal Music Group (UMG), the record label behind both rappers, of defamation for allowing Kendrick’s “Not Like Us” song to be published and promoted, claiming it spread a “false and malicious narrative.”
Drake’s legal team also claimed that UMG and Spotify engaged in an “illegal scheme” involving bots, payola (undisclosed payments for promotion), and other illicit methods to artificially inflate the streaming numbers and popularity of Lamar’s song. The lawsuit was later dismissed. So it’s an interesting turn of events when, on January 1st, a new lawsuit alleges that the rapper conspired with streamer Adin Ross to promote illegal gambling on Stake.us and funnel funds to bot farms that illegally boost Drake’s streaming numbers.
What is a RICO Charge
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) is a federal law designed to combat organized crime. It was established in 1970 and originally used to stop organized crime facilitated by the Mafia. Stake, the company named in this lawsuit, is a multibillion-dollar company. It signed an endorsement deal with Drake in 2022, and he has since undertaken frequent livestreams of online gambling sessions and giveaways.
The problem is that although Stake is technically based in Australia, it operates in U.S. states that have outlawed real-money online gambling. Stake covers the online-gambling ban by selling “play money” that comes with free tokens. The play money is worthless, but the tokens can be wagered and later converted into cash for withdrawal. If a judge finds the practice illegal, Drake could be liable for promoting the company.
How Did This Allegedly Boost Drake’s Music Streams
In regard to boosting Drake’s music streams, the group allegedly used “bot farms,” automated systems that fake music listening or streaming, to make it appear more people were listening. This helps increase Drake’s popularity online. They would secretly move money from the gambling site through a special system that allowed users to “tip” each other (sort of like donating). The money from these tips supposedly went to finance the bot farms, which then boosted Drake’s music numbers on platforms like Spotify, making it seem like more people were listening to his songs.
The Irony of it All
Drake was hit with this lawsuit on the last day of Kwanzaa, Imani Day. Imani means “faith,” and celebrates community. Although I don’t think a farm full of robots is what the creator of Kwanzaa had in mind. Furthermore, Imani Day celebrates identity and confidence. Something Kendrick Lamar claimed Drake was insecure about on his other popular diss track towards the rapper, “Meet the Grahams.”
“No culture cachet to binge, just disrespectin’ your mother
Identity’s on the fence, don’t know which family will love ya
The skin that you livin’ in is compromised in personas”
-Kendrick Lamar, “Meet the Grahams”
Another ironic twist? In 2016, Drake was featured on Meek Mill’s “Dreams Worth More Than Money” album. The song he was featured on was entitled…R.I.C.O. On it, Drake boldly raps in the chorus:
“OVO, East End, Reps Up
We might just get hit with the R.I.C.O.
Everyone home for the summer, so let’s not do nothing illegal…”
-Drake, “R.I.C.O.”
Needless to say, 2025 ended with Drake’s labelmate, Nicki Minaj, going viral online for her unprecedented appearance at Amerifest, and 2026 is starting with him facing the same Rico charges as the mob. We’ll keep you updated on this case.
