US EditionJudge tosses Drake’s defamation lawsuit against Universal Music over rap beef with Kendrick Lamar
A federal judge ruled Kendrick Lamar’s lyrics were hyperbolic opinion, not defamation, dismissing Drake’s suit claiming Universal Music Group promoted harmful falsehoods.
- Judge Jeannette A. Vargas, U.S. District Judge, dismissed Drake 's defamation suit on Thursday , ruling the lyrics were nonactionable opinion.
- Not Like Us was released on May 4, 2024 as the penultimate song in a series of diss tracks during a 16-day spring 2024 rap battle between Kendrick Lamar and Drake.
- Lamar's lyrics accused Drake of being `certified pedophiles`, and the song's cover art showed Drake's Toronto mansion with over a dozen sex-offender markers, which the judge called exaggerated.
- Following the ruling, Universal Music Group said it welcomed the dismissal and called the suit "an affront to all artists and their creative expression," while Drake's spokesperson said he intends to appeal and seek review by the Court of Appeals.
- Legally, the ruling favors record labels and artists by recognizing that the average listener does not see diss tracks as factual, Vargas wrote, protecting creative freedom in rap battles.
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Kendrick Lamar said Drake is 'Not Like Us.' A judge says that's not defamatory
A federal judge has dismissed rapper Drake’s defamation lawsuit against his record label, Universal Music Group, ruling that the lyrics in Kendrick Lamar’s controversial diss track “Not Like Us” were constitutionally protected opinion. In a written order,U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas in New York said Lamar’s lyrics were “non-actionable opinion,” meaning they cannot be considered defamatory under the law. But the case may not be over. In a…
Drake's Defamation Suit Against UMG Over Lamar's 'Not Like Us' Dismissed
A federal judge in Manhattan on Thursday dismissed rapper Drake’s defamation lawsuit over Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us” against Universal Music Group, which distributes music for both artists.
The Canadian rapper filed a libel suit against Universal Music Group. A judge ruled.
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