Journalist Backs Up Drake’s Claim That Siri Played “Not Like Us” When Asked About “Certified Lover Boy”… Technically

Drake caused a massive uproar thanks to his legal petition against Universal Music Group and Spotify for their alleged artificial inflation of “Not Like Us” in terms of sales. The news even hit mainstream media, and CNN recently asked journalist Sowmya Krishnamurthy about the whole endeavor. Specifically, they went over Drizzy’s claim that Apple’s Siri would play “Not Like Us” when asked about Certified Lover Boy, which became one of the more viral tech-related stories from the Kendrick Lamar battle. Krishnamurthy explained that there are multiple nuanced reasons as to why this occurred for some people that deserve an explanation.

“So I’m going to be honest,” Sowmya Krishnamurthy explained concerning the Drake and Kendrick Lamar situation. “I actually did the test during this time, and it did work. When you said, ‘Hey Siri, play Certified Lover Boy,’ it did play ‘Not Like Us.’ It did, yes. I actually posted a video on my YouTube and social media. But I think we all knew that it was pulling from the lyrics. So I think Apple could have an argument that people were searching for that song, or that’s what their algorithm was kicking up. Because it is not just titles, but also lyrics. So there’s a little bit of nuance there.”

“Yeah, that’s what a lot of industry insiders are saying,” Sowmya Krishnamurthy replied when asked about whether it’s plausible that Drake could’ve benefitted from the same alleged practices that Kendrick Lamar allegedly benefitted from. “For the entirety of his career, Drake really has enjoyed this privilege. Being an industry darling, being the most streamed artist on Spotify for hip-hop. Even now, like, the last time I checked, his monthly uniques on Spotify are more than Kendrick. If we go back to 2018, there was a huge campaign where every single Spotify playlist was Drake. Whether it was hip-hop, pop, country, gospel. So these campaigns by these streaming services or companies, they’re not uncommon. But the question is, is Drake now bitter or whining because he’s not the beneficiary?”

“I think a lot,” Sowmya Krishnamurthy answered a question about how much this hurts Drake’s credibility. “You know, it’s one thing to lose a rap battle… [shake] the hand of your adversary and say, ‘Hey, good game.’ I think that’s good sportsmanship. But this, to me, just really seems like whining. It seems like when things don’t go as well. I think you alluded to this earlier. It has that very much ‘Stop the steal’ energy. That doesn’t do too well in hip-hop.”