Drake just took a major loss in his ongoing legal battle with Universal Music Group.
According to court documents, U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas has officially dismissed the rapper’s defamation lawsuit against UMG.
Drake filed the suit earlier this year, accusing the company of conspiring with Kendrick Lamar to damage his reputation following the release of Kendrick’s 2024 diss track “Not Like Us,” which included explosive accusations that Drake had sexual relations with minors.
“Certified Lover Boy? Certified pedophiles,” Kendrick rapped on the track, referencing Drake’s 2021 album Certified Lover Boy. “Why you trollin’ like a bitch? Ain’t you tired? Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A minor.”
In her ruling, Judge Vargas determined that Kendrick’s pointed lyrics were “nonactionable opinion” and did not amount to defamation. She emphasized that “Not Like Us” emerged during a “vitriolic war of words” between the two artists — a heated rap feud filled with exaggeration and hyperbole.
“The penultimate song of this feud, ‘Not Like Us’ by Kendrick Lamar, dealt the metaphorical killing blow,” the ruling stated. “The song contains lyrics explicitly accusing Drake of being a pedophile, set to a catchy beat and propulsive bassline.”
Vargas added that within the context of a public rap battle, listeners expect heightened rhetoric and insults that cannot be interpreted as factual claims.
“The Court holds, based upon a full consideration of the context in which ‘Not Like Us’ was published, that a reasonable listener could not have concluded that ‘Not Like Us’ was conveying objective facts about Drake,” the judge wrote. “Although the accusation that Plaintiff is a pedophile is certainly a serious one, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with incendiary language and offensive accusations hurled by both participants, would not incline the reasonable listener to believe that ‘Not Like Us’ imparts verifiable facts about Plaintiff.”
Drake had also accused UMG of harassment and deceptive business practices, alleging the company used bots and payola to artificially boost the song’s popularity — a move he said damaged his brand.
UMG denied the claims, calling them baseless and asserting that Kendrick’s lyrics were protected under free speech. In a statement to Billboard, a UMG spokesperson praised the court’s decision:
“From the outset, this suit was an affront to all artists and their creative expression and never should have seen the light of day,” the spokesperson said. “We’re pleased with the court’s dismissal and look forward to continuing our work successfully promoting Drake’s music and investing in his career.”
