A federal decide in New York tossed out a defamation lawsuit that Drake introduced towards Common Music Group, ruling that lyrics branding the famous person as a pedophile in Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy-winning diss observe “Not Like Us” had been opinion.
Decide Jeannette A. Vargas on Thursday rejected the swimsuit in a written opinion that started by citing “the vitriolic disagreement” and saying the case arose “from maybe probably the most notorious rap battle within the style’s historical past.”
Filed in January, the lawsuit alleged that UMG revealed and promoted “Not Like Us” regardless that it included false pedophilia allegations towards Drake and advised listeners ought to resort to vigilante justice.
The lawsuit additionally alleged that the observe tarnished his repute and decreased the worth of his model.
Lamar was not named within the lawsuit.
Common Music Group, the guardian file label for each artists, had denied the allegations.
“From the outset, this swimsuit was an affront to all artists and their artistic expression and by no means ought to have seen the sunshine of day,” a UMG spokesperson advised CBS Information in a press release Thursday. “We’re happy with the courtroom’s dismissal and sit up for persevering with our work efficiently selling Drake’s music and investing in his profession.”
CBS Information has reached out to representatives for each Drake and Lamar for remark.
UMG owns each Interscope, Lamar’s label, and Republic Data, the place Drake has spent his total profession.
In February, Drake reached a settlement with iHeartMedia in a separate courtroom grievance filed in Texas over “Not Like Us.”
In that grievance, Drake alleged that iHeartMedia had obtained unlawful funds from UMG to spice up radio airplay for “Not Like Us.” iHeartMedia and UMG denied the allegations.
And in November 2024, Drake additionally filed an identical grievance in New York towards streaming large Spotify and UMG, accusing them of conspiring to inflate streams of “Not Like Us.” Each firms have additionally denied these claims.
Lamar and Drake have been beefing for years, with the 2 rappers releasing a number of diss tracks about each other. The feud appeared to succeed in its peak when Lamar known as out Drake throughout his Tremendous Bowl Halftime Present in February.
In “Not Like Us,” which was launched in Could 2024, Lamar makes disturbing accusations about Drake allegedly having inappropriate conduct with minors. He additionally makes related allegations about Drake’s pals and continues to query Drake’s expertise.
In his personal responding diss observe, Drake denied these allegations, in addition to allegations about having a daughter.
