Canadian rapper Drake has suffered a major legal blow after a U.S. judge dismissed his defamation lawsuit over Kendrick Lamar’s viral diss track “Not Like Us.”
Drake had filed the suit in January 2025, accusing Universal Music Group (UMG) of promoting and profiting from the hit, which he claimed falsely painted him as a pedophile and tarnished his reputation.
But Judge Jeannette A. Vargas threw out the case, ruling that the lyrics amounted to “nonactionable opinion.” She emphasized that rap battles are often filled with hyperbole, exaggeration, and insults that reasonable listeners know aren’t meant to be taken literally.
In response, UMG hailed the decision as a victory for artistic freedom, warning against efforts to use the courts to censor musicians.
The dispute traces back to the fierce feud between Drake and Lamar, which peaked in 2024 after a string of diss tracks from both artists — climaxing with Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” a cultural phenomenon that dominated charts and social media worldwide.
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