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Drake's lawsuit against UMG (Universal Music Group) was dismissed on Thursday, October 9. However, the rapper's representatives have confirmed that they intend to appeal the decision.
Drizzy had failed a defamation lawsuit against UMG in January this year. He accused the label of intentional defamation due to its distribution and promotion of Not Like Us, a diss track made by Kendrick Lamar against Drake. The track was released on May 4, 2024, during the peak of the beef between the two rappers.
However, on Thursday, US District Judge Jeannette Vargas dismissed the case, stating that the lyrics of the song share a “non-actionable opinion”. She stated (h/t Variety):
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“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.”
In Not Like Us, Kendrick Lamar labels Drizzy a "certified pedophile." The Judge, however, suggested that a general listener would not take these lyrics as fact due to the tone of the song.
In the lawsuit, the Canadian rapper had pointed to more lyrics from the song, suggesting that Kendrick Lamar appears to state that he has evidence for his claims. These lyrics are:
“Rabbit hole is still deep, I can go further, I promise.”
Judge Jeannette Vargas, however, wrote in her judgment:
“It is not at all clear that this is a natural reading of this lyric. Even if this line was susceptible to such an interpretation standing alone, however, no reasonable listener could understand it in this way given the overall context.”
A spokesperson for Drizzy has confirmed their intention to appeal the decision, saying:
“We intend to appeal today’s ruling, and we look forward to the court of appeals reviewing it.”
UMG had filed to dismiss the lawsuit in March this year.
UMG's statement after Drake's defamation lawsuit against them is dismissed
UMG's representatives have always denied the defamation allegations against them since the lawsuit was filed in January 2025. After the case was dismissed on Thursday, a spokesperson for the company told Variety:
“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.”
UMG owns both Interscope Records and Republic Records, which represent Kendrick Lamar and Drake, respectively. Hence, they were named in the lawsuit for alleged defamation.
Meanwhile, the two rappers have been beefing for over two years now, releasing multiple diss tracks against each other last year. Lamar released Not Like Us in May 2024. It won the Record of the Year and Song of the Year awards at the 2025 Grammys. He also performed it during his headlining show at the Super Bowl Halftime Show in February 2025.
