Drake's lawsuit over Kendrick Lamar song is diss-missed
A judge has ruled that the lyrics in the 'Not Like Us' diss track were a non-actionable opinion.
Drake took another loss in his beef with Kendrick Lamar, this time in the courtroom.
A judge has dismissed the Canadian rapper's defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG).
The rapper took UMG to court over Lamar's diss track, 'Not Like Us.'
Lamar released the single in 2024 amid a back-and-forth with Drake, during which each rapper dropped scathing songs against the other.
READ: Drake vs Kendrick Lamar: Rap beef escalates
Lamar's 'Not Like Us' was a smash hit, peaking at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song earned the rapper five awards at the 2025 Grammys.
Fans and music critics declared the 'Humble' hitmaker the winner of the beef.
Despite the song's famous lyrics, "he a fan, he a fan, he a fan", Drake was not a fan of the song. He took issue with Lamar insinuating that he was a pedophile.
"Certified Lover Boy? Certified pedophiles/ Wop, wop, wop, wop, wop, Dot, f**k 'em up/ Wop, wop, wop, wop, wop, I'ma do my stuff/ Why you trollin' like a b***h? Ain't you tired?/ Tryna strike a chord and it's probably A minor," Lamar raps.
Drake accused UMG, which distributes both his and Lamar's music, of defamation and harassment for publishing and promoting content that "falsely accuses Drake of being a pedophile".
He also accused UMG of prioritising “corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists”.
It’s the “Say Drake 😁 I hear you like em young” for me. Look at that man smiling in the camera. I love him!!!!! #KendrickLamar #SuperBowl2025 #halftime pic.twitter.com/cTjT0fMT2g
— ❣︎ 𝓐𝓷𝓰𝓮𝓵𝓲𝓺𝓾𝓮 ❣︎ (@ac_arts_studio) February 10, 2025
Drake even went as far as claiming that the record label artificially inflated the success of the song, despite everyone and their mama knowing the track word for word.
UMG called the 'Hotline Bling' rapper's lawsuit "illogical" and “frivolous”.
Judge Jeannette Vargas found that Lamar's 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," Vargas said, per People magazine.
Drake has vowed to appeal the ruling. UMG has applauded the judge's decision.
"From the outset, this suit was an affront to all artists and their creative expression and never should have seen the light of day. We’re pleased with the court’s dismissal and look forward to continuing our work successfully promoting Drake’s music and investing in his career," the label said.
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