A federal judge has dismissed rapper Drake’s defamation lawsuit against his record label, Universal Music Group, ruling that the lyrics in Kendrick Lamar’s controversial diss track “Not Like Us” were constitutionally protected opinion. In a written order,U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas in New York said Lamar’s lyrics were “non-actionable opinion,” meaning they cannot be considered defamatory under the law.
But the case may not be over.
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In an emailed statement to Straight Arrow News, a spokesperson for Drake said, “We intend to appeal today’s ruling, and we look forward to the Court of Appeals reviewing it.”
The record label said it was pleased with the outcome.
How did we get here?
The feud between Drake and Lamar erupted publicly in 2024, fueled by years of simmering competition between the two rap heavyweights.
That rivalry reached its peak in May 2024 when Lamar dropped “Not Like Us,” a chart-topping track laced with accusations aimed squarely at Drake.
Soon after, Drake filed a defamation lawsuit against UMG, which releases his music as well as Lamar’s. The lawsuit alleged the company had distributed and promoted a “false and malicious” narrative painting him as a pedophile.
The lyrics at the center of the dispute included the lines:
“Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young / You better not ever go to cell block one,” and “Certified Lover Boy? Certified pedophile.”
Before that filing, Drake had withdrawn a separate petition accusing UMG and Spotify of artificially inflating streams of Lamar’s song.
Allegations against UMG
In an 81-page complaint filed in January, Drake claimed UMG paid a third-party bot service to boost “Not Like Us” by at least 30 million streams. The lawsuit also alleged the label engaged in a “pay-for-play” radio promotion scheme to further increase the track’s reach.
Drake argued the song’s success triggered real-world fallout. In spring 2024, gunfire erupted outside his Toronto home, injuring a security guard. The next day, another intruder allegedly attempted to tunnel beneath his security fence.
Though both artists operate under their own labels, Drake’s OVO Sound and Lamar’s pgLang are subsidiaries of UMG.
UMG denied wrongdoing
UMG has repeatedly denied the allegations. “Throughout his career, Drake has intentionally and successfully used UMG to distribute his music and engage in conventionally outrageous rap battles,” a company spokesperson said in a statement to TMZ earlier this year. “He now seeks to weaponize the legal process to silence creative expression and seek damages from UMG for distributing that artist’s music.”
The dispute escalated in March when Drake amended his complaint, accusing UMG of amplifying defamatory claims during Lamar’s high-profile Super Bowl halftime performance.
During that performance, the word “pedophile” was censored, but Drake’s lawyers argued the implication remained clear. They claimed UMG “arranged for massive amplification” of the lyric’s message to more than 133 million Super Bowl viewers and another 15 million watching Lamar’s performance at the Grammys.
UMG later sought to dismiss the lawsuit and delay discovery, which would give Drake’s team access to internal company communications. On April 2, a New York judge granted Drake’s request to begin discovery.
At the time, Drake’s lead attorney, Michael Gottlieb, told SAN, “Now it’s time to see what UMG was so desperately trying to hide.”
