Drake’s federal lawsuit against his own record label, Universal Music Group (UMG), for their involvement promoting Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us” is officially over after a federal judge threw it out on Thursday (October 9), reports the Associated Press. In her ruling, Judge Jeannette A. Vargas stated that the song is a series of opinions, not defamatory allegations, and listeners were aware of such.
“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,” wrote Judge Vargas.
In the lawsuit, Drake also claimed the popularity of “Not Like Us” was to blame for attempted break-ins to his Toronto residence and a security guard getting shot. The single artwork depicts an aerial view of his mansion from Google Maps and overlaid with “more than a dozen sex offender markers,” which Judge Vargas said were “obviously exaggerated and doctored.” She added, “No reasonable person would view the image and believe that in fact law enforcement had designated thirteen residents in Drake’s home as sex offenders.”
After the lawsuit was thrown out yesterday, Drake’s legal team released a statement, saying, “We intend to appeal today’s ruling, and we look forward to the Court of Appeals reviewing it.”
UMG shared their own update following the ruling, stating: “From the outset, this suit was an affront to all artists and their creative expression and never should have seen the light of day. 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.”
Drake filed the lawsuit against UMG back in January, alleging that the major label intentionally published and promoted “Not Like Us” despite knowing it contained false and defamatory allegations against Drake and suggested listeners resort to vigilante justice. Drake claimed the single irreparably damaged his reputation and decreased his brand’s value.
UMG’s lawyers asked the court to dismiss the case, framing the feud between Drake and Lamar as “not unique in the world of rap”—going so far as to compliment Drake as “a prolific rap feud combatant” for his diss tracks with Pusha T and Meek Mill—and pointed out that the back-and-forth battle included other songs with unique accusations that Drake omitted from the lawsuit.
“Drake, who had no concerns using UMG’s platform to publish slurs about Lamar during their rap feud, now claims that ‘Not Like Us’ is defamatory,” UMG’s lawyers argued back in March. “Plaintiff [Drake], one of the most successful recording artists of all time, lost a rap battle that he provoked and in which he willingly participated. Instead of accepting the loss like the unbothered rap artist he often claims to be, he has sued his own record label in a misguided attempt to salve his wounds.”
In a statement shared with Pitchfork that March, Michael J. Gottlieb, Drake’s lead attorney, said: “UMG wants to pretend that this is about a rap battle in order to distract its shareholders, artists and the public from a simple truth: A greedy company is finally being held responsible for profiting from dangerous misinformation that has already resulted in multiple acts of violence. This motion is a desperate ploy by UMG to avoid accountability, but we have every confidence that this case will proceed and continue to uncover UMG’s long history of endangering, abusing and taking advantage of its artists.”
