US EditionJudge tosses Drake’s defamation lawsuit against Universal Music over rap beef with Kendrick Lamar
Judge rules lyrics in Kendrick Lamar’s diss track are protected opinion, highlighting 2024’s Grammy-winning song’s artistic expression amid a longstanding rap feud.
- On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Jeannette A. Vargas dismissed Drake's lawsuit, ruling Kendrick Lamar's lyrics as `nonactionable opinion` and not defamatory despite calling Drake a `certified pedophile`.
- Earlier this year, Drake filed the lawsuit alleging Universal Music Group and Spotify inflated Not Like Us streams using bots and licensed the song at a 30% discount to boost exposure.
- In a 38-page written opinion, Judge Jeannette A. Vargas analyzed lyrics and cover art, finding the diss-track forum and cover art exaggerated and that a reasonable listener would not see the song as factual.
- UMG emerged victorious as Thursday's dismissal ends Drake's case for now, though Drake's camp said he intends to appeal to the Court of Appeals.
- The Grammy-winning hit, which Lamar released in May, won five Grammys and featured in this year's Super Bowl after eight diss tracks over 16 days.
219 Articles
219 Articles
The rappers Drake and Kendrick Lamar fought an epic beef together. Drake wanted to continue it in court: because of »Not Like Us« he filed a lawsuit against his own record label, but without success.
A New York judge has dismissed Drake's defamation lawsuit over the so-called Kendrick Lamar diss track. The Canadian rapper had filed a lawsuit against his and Lamar's record label, Universal Music Group, for releasing and promoting the song "Not Like Us," BBC reports.
A New York judge ruled that rapper Kendrick Lamar's diss track accuses fellow rapper Drake of pedophilia was uncontested. Because it involves "hyperbolic statements that characterize an opinion," the accusation falls under freedom of speech. Drake hadn't directly sued Lamar, but had filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group, the record label owned by both himself and his rival. The Canadian accused the label of defamation and claimed his saf…
Rapper Drake has had his lawsuit against Universal Music Group dismissed. Judge found Lamar's hit song not defamatory.
Judge Tosses Out Drake’s Defamation Lawsuit Against Label Over Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’
NEW YORK—A defamation lawsuit that Drake brought against Universal Music Group was tossed out Thursday by a federal judge who said the lyrics in Kendrick Lamar’s dis track “Not Like Us” were opinion. The feud between two of hip-hop’s biggest stars erupted in the spring of 2024, with the pair trading a series of vitriolic tracks that culminated in Lamar landing the “metaphorical killing blow” with his megahit that May, Judge Jeannette A. Vargas s…
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