Drake couldn’t help himself during a recent stream with BenDaDonnn, jokingly referring to Spotify, a platform on which he yet again saw strong numbers for 2025, as “Botify.”
The offhanded remark came as the Iceman artist was trying to pull up a song on the platform, which was previously made the subject of refuted claims of artificially boosted streams in connection with Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy-winning “Not Like Us” diss. In October, Drake’s lawsuit against UMG over the track was dismissed.
Notably, in a statement to Complex in connection with unrelated legal action from a separate party in November, a Spotify spokesperson said the platform “in no way benefits from the industry-wide challenge of artificial streaming.” Instead, per the spokesperson, Spotify has invested in “always-improving, best-in-class systems to combat it” while working to “safeguard artist payouts with strong protections,” including the removal of fake streams.
“I can play it on Botify real quick,” Drake joked to BenDaDonnn over the weekend during a stream that also saw him declining to get specific when asked for an Iceman release date.
In the 2025 edition of Spotify’s U.S. artist ranking, Drake was bested only by Taylor Swift. Kendrick and the artist formerly known as Kanye West, among others, also appeared in the year’s top 10. Meanwhile, Drake took the top spot on Apple Music’s year-end rundown.
Drake linked with OVO Sound artist PARTYNEXTDOOR for a joint album, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, in February. Complex recently named the project, which includes the Grammy-nominated single “Somebody Loves Me,” as one of the best albums of the year. See our full ranking here.
