🔗 Share this article

A judge has dismissed Drake's defamation lawsuit against the music corporation over Kendrick Lamar’s song Not Like Us.

Judge Jeannette Vargas ruled that Lamar's song lyrics, which claimed the artist and his crew of being "certified paedophiles", were "protected opinion" and cannot be deemed libelous.

The Canadian rapper filed the lawsuit in early this year, accusing UMG, the music company representing the two rappers, of defamation by permitting the track to be published and marketed, stating it spread a "untrue and harmful story".

The artist’s representative said he intended to appeal the decision. Universal Music Group expressed it was pleased with the result and was eager to continuing its work with the rapper.

Context of the Rap Battle

Not Like Us, which was initially released in spring 2024, was widely seen as the decisive blow in an continuing feud between the competing artists.

It has become the most successful track of Lamar's musical journey, having received multiple Grammy awards and being one of the most-talked about moments of his Super Bowl performance in February.

In a detailed ruling, the judge called the row between the artists "the most notorious hip-hop feud in the history of rap music".

"The artists' series of diss tracks was a 'verbal conflict' that was the subject of extensive press coverage and online discourse," the court noted.

"While the claim that plaintiff is a child predator is certainly a grave allegation, the wider backdrop of a heated rap battle, with incendiary language and insulting claims hurled by both participants, would not incline the reasonable listener to believe that 'the track' conveys truthful statements about the claimant."

She also noted that, in an earlier song, the artist had "dared his rival to make the pedophile claims" that featured in the diss record.

On the song Taylor Made Freestyle, the rapper used the AI-generated voice of Tupac Shakur to suggest strategies on how to prevail in the feud.

"Suggest he has a preference for minors, consider that a tip," the track proposed.

"Against this backdrop in which such lines as 'Hey Drake, I’ve heard you prefer them young' must be assessed," stated the court.

"The parallel in the phrasing suggests strongly that this line is a clear reference to Drake's lyrics in the prior song."

'A Slap in the Face to Creatives'

The musician, whose legal name is Aubrey Drake Graham, did not sue Lamar in the legal filing.

His legal team accused UMG of launching "a campaign to generate a viral hit" out of a track that made the "false factual allegation that the artist is a criminal paedophile, and to suggest that the audience should resort to extra-legal action in retaliation".

Ruling against Drake, Judge Vargas said listeners would not expect "truthful accounts" from a musical attack "replete with vulgar language, trash-talking, threats of violence, and figurative and hyperbolic language."

She highlighted that the rapper himself had engaged in comparable rhetoric, quoting a lyric in which the star "strongly" suggested that "Lamar is a spouse beater", and a separate instance where Drake "raps that he 'heard' that one of Lamar's sons may not be his biological offspring."

Concerning the track in question, Judge Vargas said: "Even seemingly factual claims may take on the nature of subjective views... when made in open discourse, intense arguments, or other circumstances in which an audience may expect the use of slurs, fiery rhetoric or exaggeration."

Reacting to the rejection, a UMG representative said: "From the beginning, this case was an insult to every creative and their creative expression and never should have been filed."

"We are satisfied with the court's dismissal and look forward to continuing our partnership effectively marketing Drake's music and investing in his artistic path," the spokesperson added.

A spokesperson for Drake said the artist planned to appeal the decision, "and we look forward to the Court of Appeals reviewing it".

Kendrick Lamar has yet to comment on the legal matter.