Hip-hop journalist Elliott Wilson recently shared his views on Drake's decision to appeal after a judge dismissed his defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group regarding Kendrick Lamar's Not Like Us. On October 9, 2025, Judge Jeannette Vargas threw out the civil lawsuit, where Drake claimed that UMG defamed him by releasing and promoting a song that alleged he was a "certified p*dophile." In her statement, the judge said the song's lyrics were “non-actionable opinion” and therefore not considered defamatory in nature. Not Like Us, which won five Grammys this year, was released in May 2024 amid the heated rap battle between Drake and Kendrick Lamar. The song portrayed the Canadian rapper as an alleged p*dophile and colonizer, and became the central focus of the Canadian rapper's lawsuit filed against his record label in January 2025.During a recent episode of The Bigger Picture podcast, uploaded to HipHopDX's YouTube page on October 15, 2025, Elliott Wilson, Jeremy Hecht, and DJ Hed discussed the judge's dismissal, the rapper's decision to appeal the verdict, and how that might impact his highly anticipated album, Iceman. For context, the Canadian rapper has been previewing songs and releasing episodes as part of the upcoming album's rollout, but has not announced a confirmed release date as of this writing.In the podcast, Elliott Wilson said it didn't make sense for Drake to continue the rollout for his album under Universal Music Group while trying to appeal the court's decision. He added that the rapper's apparent decision to "artistically try to present Iceman as a clear slate" while legally fighting UMG "clashes with each other," suggesting that the rapper had no "real plan" on how to proceed. Wilson further added that Drake's "boss move" would be to cut ties with UMG and go independent, saying:"The boss move is...he should have a way to end his relationship with Universal if he's so unhappy with them, and build a new record label, build a new career someplace, get his masters back from Universal...It looks very short-term with no real plan on what he's really supposed to do," he said.Elsewhere in the podcast, Wilson further suggested that Drake and UMG were seemingly not in good standing despite the rapper working on a new album under the record label, wondering whether Iceman would be the rapper's final project under the label. He theorized that the rapper could get a more lucrative deal with another record label like Sony Music Publishing, but also noted that the masters for his older albums would still be under UMG till he bought them back. In 2021, Variety reported that the rapper signed a "Lebron-sized deal" with UMG, rumored to be worth $400 million. He was previously signed to Young Money/Cash Money, which is owned by UMG.UMG slammed Drake's lawsuit as "an affront to all artists and their creative expression" following dismissalOn October 9, 2025, Judge Jeannette Vargas dismissed Drake's defamation lawsuit against UMG, saying the record label did not defame the rapper as the lyrics of Not Like Us were opinions hurled amid a "heated rap battle," not facts. Describing the Drake-Lamar feud as "the most infamous rap battle in the genre's history," the judge's statement added:"The artists' seven-track rap battle was a 'war of words' that was the subject of substantial media scrutiny and online discourse. 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."Kurrco @KurrcoLINK🚨 BREAKING: Drake’s defamation lawsuit against UMG over Kendrick Lamar’s "Not Like Us" has been dismissed. "Because the Court concludes that the allegedly defamatory statements in “Not Like Us” are nonactionable opinion, the motion to dismiss is GRANTED."Furthermore, Judge Vargas noted that the Canadian rapper "challenged Lamar to make the p*dophilia accusations" mentioned in Not Like Us. The judge referenced the Canadian rapper's Taylor Made Freestyle, where he had used the AI-generated voice of late rapper Tupac Shakur to tell Lamar, "Talk about him likin' young girls, that's a gift from me." Vargas wrote that the context of the line, "Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young" from Not Like Us was likely "a direct callback to Drake's lyrics in the prior song."Jeremy Hecht @Jeremy_HechtLINKI said this months ago, Taylor Made Freestyle was the downfall of this lawsuit. Drake told Kendrick to say something and Kendrick took him up on that offer. The judge put it in paperworkAccording to the BBC, she further added that listeners did not expect "accurate factual reporting" from a diss track "replete with profanity, trash-talking, threats of violence, and figurative and hyperbolic language." The judge also noted that the Canadian rapper had used similar language in his diss tracks, mentioning his implications that Lamar was a domestic abuser and that one of his children "may not be biologically his."Meanwhile, a spokesperson from UMG called the lawsuit "an affront to all artists and their creative expression," adding that the label was "pleased" with the judge's decision and looked forward to continuing their partnership with the Canadian rapper."From the outset, this lawsuit 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."In a statement following the dismissal, Drake's legal team said they intend to appeal the judge's decision, adding that they “look forward to the Court of Appeals reviewing it.” Meanwhile, Kendrick Lamar has yet to make a public statement about the verdict as of this article.