Drake just took an L in court. A U.S. federal judge has officially dismissed his defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) over Kendrick Lamar’s explosive diss track “Not Like Us.”
Judge Jeannette Vargas of the Southern District of New York ruled on Thursday (Oct. 9) that the track’s lyrics fall under “protected opinion,” not defamation — meaning Kendrick’s jabs were part of artistic expression, not factual claims.
According to Vargas, no reasonable listener would take the bars literally, especially considering the chaos of their now-legendary rap beef.
UMG celebrated the win, telling Music Business Worldwide:
“From the start, this lawsuit was an attack on artistic freedom and should’ve never gone anywhere. We’re happy with the court’s decision and will keep backing Drake and his music.”
“Not Like Us” dropped on May 4, 2024, as part of what the court called “perhaps the most infamous rap battle in hip-hop history.” Within just over two weeks, Drake and Kendrick traded eight diss tracks that took over the culture — and the internet.
The song became a monster hit, racking up more than 1.4 billion Spotify streams, snagging Record of the Year at the Grammys, and even landing a Super Bowl Halftime performance that drew 133.5 million viewers.
Drake filed his suit in January 2025, accusing UMG of “intentionally promoting” the record even though it allegedly contained false and defamatory claims suggesting he’d been involved with minors. Both rappers are signed under UMG — Drake through Republic Records and Kendrick via Interscope.
In her 38-page opinion, Judge Vargas said context was everything. She wrote that the songs released during the feud “exist in dialogue with one another,” meaning the average listener would interpret them as lyrical sparring, not real-world accusations.
Drake also went after UMG with claims of harassment and deceptive business practices — accusing the label of using bots and payola to inflate “Not Like Us” streams — but the court dismissed those too, citing lack of evidence.
A rep for Drake told outlets,
“We intend to appeal today’s ruling and look forward to the Court of Appeals reviewing it.”
