Drake’s defamation lawsuit filed against the record label Universal Music Group (UMG) was dismissed by Judge Jeannette A Vargas on Thursday, October 9, who ruled that Kendrick Lamar’s lyrics were “nonactionable opinion,” AP reported. Vargas observed that the track’s lyrics explicitly branded Drake as a paedophile. However, she reasoned that a reasonable listener cannot conclude that “Not Like Us” lyrics convey objective facts about the 38-year-old Canadian superstar.
“Although the accusation that Plaintiff 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 Plaintiff,” the order said.
The feud between the two hip-hop stars can be traced back to the spring of 2024. The pair traded a series of vitriolic tracks but Kendrick Lamar’s chartbuster “Not Like Us” made the ultimate “metaphorical killing blow” with its launch in May. The diss track premiered at a time the ongoing battle between the rival rappers was highly publicised and emerged as one of the most popular songs on the Billboard.
Notably, Drake did not sue Lamar but the latest ruling implies that “One Dance” hitmaker’s case against UMG is now over. However, he can appeal the decision.
Accusing UMG of defamation, Drake filed the lawsuit in January. He alleged that it spread a “false and malicious narrative” but allowed the song to be published and promoted.
Meanwhile, Drake’s spokesperson revealed that he plans to appeal against the ruling and said that the ‘Rich Baby Daddy’ singer looks “forward to the Court of Appeals reviewing it,” BBC reported. Despite the dropped lawsuit, UMG expressed willingness to work with the rapper.
Judge Vargas labelled the feud between the rappers as “the most infamous rap battle in the genre’s history” in her 38-page order.
“The artists’ seven-track rap battle was a ‘war of words’ that was the subject of substantial media scrutiny and online discourse,” Judge Vargas wrote, AP reported citing the order. This ruling comes at a time 22-time Grammy Awards winner, Kendrick Lamar, is preparing for his Super Bowl half-time show slated for February.
