Drake’s defamation suit against UMG over Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ dismissed

The legal drama surrounding the epic rap beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar has taken a significant turn. A federal judge in Manhattan recently dismissed Drake's defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) concerning Lamar's provocative diss track, "Not Like Us."

At the heart of the dismissal, US District Judge Jeannette Vargas ruled that Lamar's contentious lyrics, which included accusations of Drake being a pedophile, were ultimately "non-actionable opinion." The judge highlighted that within the intense landscape of a rap battle, where "incendiary language and offensive accusations" are commonplace, a reasonable listener wouldn't interpret such statements as verifiable facts.

UMG expressed satisfaction with the outcome, stating that the lawsuit was "an affront to all artists and their creative expression and never should have seen the light of day." The company added that it looks forward to "continuing our work successfully promoting Drake’s music and investing in his career." This particular suit saw Drake targeting UMG — the distributor for both artists — rather than Lamar directly, a strategic move understood to navigate the strong First Amendment protections afforded to individual artistic expression in the U.S.

The dismissal comes amidst a well-publicized and fiery rap rivalry between Drake, whose given name is Aubrey Drake Graham, and Lamar, marked by a series of high-stakes diss tracks. Despite the legal battle, "Not Like Us" has enjoyed immense critical and commercial success, bagging Grammy Awards for Record and Song of the Year, and dominating the Billboard Hot 100 for multiple weeks, including a resurgence after Lamar’s impactful Super Bowl halftime performance.