Drake files notice to appeal ruling in Kendrick Lamar song lawsuit
Drake is not going down without a fight after his defamation lawsuit was dismissed.
Canadian rapper Drake has filed a formal notice of appeal following a significant loss in his defamation case over a Kendrick Lamar diss song.
Earlier this month, a judge dismissed his lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG), ruling that the lyrics in Lamar's 'Not Like Us' single were a non-actionable opinion.
The 'Certified Loverboy' rapper slammed UMG for publishing and promoting content that "falsely accuses Drake of being a pedophile".
The two rappers, who are both signed with UMG, had a back-and-forth beef in 2024 that ended with Lamar winning five Grammy awards.
They both took shots at each other in several diss tracks, but Lamar was declared the winner of the rap beef.
READ: Drake vs Kendrick Lamar: Rap beef escalates
Judge Jeannette Vargas noted that Drake has "challenged Lamar to make the paedophilia accusations" in the diss song, 'Taylor Made Freestyle', which featured an AI-generated rap verse from the late Tupac.
"Talk about him likin' young girls, that's a gift from me," AI-Tupac urges Lamar.
Lamar did just that: "Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young. You better not ever go to cell block one."
Judge Vargas said the lyrics were an opinion, not a claim of fact.
"Although the accusation that [Drake] is a pedophile is certainly a serious one, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with incendiary language and offensive accusations hurled by both participants, would not incline the reasonable listener to believe that 'Not Like Us' imparts verifiable facts about Drake."
According to Variety, Drake's legal team will explain the basis for his appeal in a separate filing.
A rep for the rapper told the publication that they "look forward to the Court of Appeals reviewing" the filing.
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