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Drake's federal lawsuit against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar's diss track "Not Like Us" has been tossed out by a judge.
According to a report TMZ published on Thursday, October 9, U.S. District Judge Jeannette A. Vargas granted UMG's request to dismiss the case "pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure." The judge approved their request to dismiss Drizzy's case against his label after she deemed the alleged defamatory lyrics in Lamar's hit song are "nonactionable opinion."
"Because the Court concludes that the allegedly defamatory statements in 'Not Like Us' are nonactionable opinion, the motion to dismiss is GRANTED," Judge Vargas wrote.
As most fans know, Drake and Kendrick Lamar's heated rap battle erupted last summer. Both rappers went back and forth with a series of diss tracks including Drake's "Push Ups" and Kendrick's "Meet The Grahams." K.Dot dealt the "metaphorical killing blow" (as Judge Vargas puts it) when he dropped his Mustard-produced song "Not Like Us." The song topped the charts and inspired a slew of jokes and memes at Drake's expense due to lyrics that labeled him a pedophile, among other things.
This statement has a readily understandable meaning, and it is capable of being proven true or false," Judge Vargas wrote. "But 'even accusations of criminal behavior are not actionable if, understood in context, they are opinion rather than fact.”
Drake filed his lawsuit against UMG Recordings in January for defamation and second-degree harassment. He alleged UMG, who previously locked in a multimillion-dollar deal with Drake in 2022 before the beef exploded, intentionally published and promoted "Not Like Us" and its accompanying music video even though they knew Lamar's lyrics that insinuated alleged sexual relations with minors were false.
This is just the latest L in Drake and Kendrick Lamar's ongoing beef. After Kendrick Lamar alluded to the lawsuit in his Super Bowl performance, Sir Lucien Grange himself, CEO of UMG, denied Drake's allegations that he signed off on attempts to sabotage his career and called them "groundless and ridiculous."
"From the outset, this suit was an affront to all artists and their creative expression and never should have seen the light of day," a rep for UMG said after the case was dropped. "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."