A US federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit that Drake charged Universal music group (UMG), accusing the record company of libel in connection with its distribution and promotion Kendrick Lamar diss track, Not like us.
Circuit Judge Jeannette Vargas dismissed the lawsuit after she said Lamara Not like us was an “unsubstantiated opinion” that is not considered defamatory.
Feud Conflict erupted between hip-hop's two biggest stars in the spring of 2024, when the pair traded a series of tracks that culminated in Lamar delivering the “metaphorical death blow” with his megahit in May of that year, Vargas said in her written opinion Thursday.
“The fact that the recording was made in the midst of a rap battle is important in assessing its impact on a reasonable listener,” Vargas wrote. “Even apparent statements of fact can take on the character of statements of opinion… when they are made in the course of a public debate, a heated labor dispute, or in other circumstances in which the audience may expect the use of epithets, fiery rhetoric, or hyperbole.”
Although the lyrics of the track are clearly branded Drake a pedophileVargas said, a reasonable listener would not conclude that Not like us conveyed objective facts about the Canadian superstar.
“While the allegation that Plaintiff is a pedophile is certainly a serious one, the broader context of a heated rap battle with incendiary language and offensive accusations made by both participants would not lead a reasonable listener to believe that Plaintiff is a pedophile. Not like us reports verifiable facts about the plaintiff,” Vargas wrote.
Summing up “perhaps the most infamous rap battle in the history of the genre,” Vargas noted that before Not like usDrake mocked Lamar's height and shoe size and questioned his success in the April 2024 track titled Push-upswhile Lamar insulted Drake's fashion sense that same month in Euphoria.
After that, Vargas wrote, the abuse intensified, becoming “harsh, personal.”
The judge said she reviewed the forum in which the abuse occurred and concluded that the average listener does not believe the diss track “is the product of thoughtful or disinterested investigation that brings fact-checked and verifiable content to the public.”
After the decision was made, the UMG representative told Variety that: “From the very beginning, this lawsuit was an insult to all artists and their creative expression and should never have seen the light of day. We are pleased with the court's decision and look forward to continuing our work to successfully promote Drake's music and invest in his career.”
Drake's representatives told the publication that they intend to appeal Thursday's decision, “and we look forward to hearing it before the Court of Appeal.”
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Not like us The song, which Vargas called “a catchy beat and an energetic bass line,” became one of the most popular songs of 2024.
This won record of the year and song of the year at the Grammy Awards and helped make this year's Super Bowl halftime show the most watched ever as fans speculated whether Lamar would actually perform it. (He did this, but with changed text.)
In January Drake filed a libel suit against UMG, the record label with which he and rival Lamar were signed.
The Toronto rapper called the release of Lamar's diss track an example of “corporate greed over the safety and well-being of their artists“, reports the New York Times.
In a statement, Drake's team said the diss track aimed at the Canadian rapper spreads a “false and malicious narrative” that he is a pedophile. The statement said Drake “is not a pedophile” and “has never engaged in any conduct that would have required him to be 'placed under supervision'.”
“Drake has never engaged in sexual conduct with minors. Drake has never been charged or convicted of any criminal conduct,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit detailed a shooting at Drake's home days after the song's release, which resulted in the arrest of a security guard. seriously injured.
“For nearly 30 minutes until the ambulance arrived, Drake and others tried to keep the man alive by pressing towels over the gunshot wound. There was blood everywhere,” the document states.
According to the lawsuit, nothing like this happened to Drake or his family in the two decades he worked in the music industry.
The lawsuit also states that several hacking attempts in his house that occurred after the song was released were caused by the actions of UMG.
“Due to the perceived physical threat to Drake's safety and the bombardment of online harassment, Drake fears for the safety of himself, his family and his friends,” the lawsuit states.
Drake's team made it clear that the lawsuit was not directed at Lamar and clearly laid the blame for the song's release, distribution and promotion on Universal.
“This lawsuit is not about the artist who created Not like us“,” the lawsuit said. “Instead, it is solely about UMG, a music company that chose to publish, promote, exploit and monetize allegations that it believed were not only false, but also dangerous.”
The feud between Drake and Lamar is one of the biggest in hip-hop in years, centered on two of the genre's biggest stars.
The two collaborated on and off over a decade ago, but Lamar began publicly criticizing Drake starting in 2013. The fight escalated sharply early last year.
— With files from The Associated Press
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