Judge Dismisses Drake’s Defamation Suit Over “Not Like Us”

Drake’s claims that “Not Like Us” lyrics were defamatory dismissed because they are opinion

On Thursday, Federal Judge Jeannette A. Vargas dismissed Drake’s lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) over Kendrick Lamar’s song “Not Like Us”. The lawsuit alleged that UMG intentionally promoted the song even though it contained false and defamatory pedophilia allegations against Drake, Lamar was not named in the suit.

Drake mentioned that the song tarnished his reputation, decreased the value of his brand overall, and encouraged violence against him. The song’s cover pictured Drake’s house, which he believed led to the multiple attempted break-ins at his house last year, as well as the shooting of his security guard at his Toronto home. 

The suit was filed in January, and in March UMG filed to have the motion dismissed stating that Drake “lost a rap battle that he provoked and in which he willingly participated” and “instead of accepting the loss like the unbothered rap artist he often claims to be, he has sued his own record label in a misguided attempt to salve his wounds”. UMG is the parent label for both Interscope Records, Lamar’s record label and Drake’s record label, Republic Records. The judge acknowledged the feud, which began in April 2024, marking that Drake mocked Lamar’s height and shoe size and questioned his success in “Push Ups,” while Lamar insulted Drake’s fashion sense in that same month on “Euphoria” and with the insults escalating from then becoming “vicious, personal” attacks.

Drake’s “Family Matters” accused Lamar of domestic violence and claimed that Lamar’s music producer was the biological father of Lamar’s son. Lamar’s response, “meet the grahams” accused Drake of being a sexual predator, lying about Lamar’s family, and having a second secret child. Lamar dropped “Not Like Us” a day later, accusing Drake of pedophilia. Drake responded quickly, denying all of Lamar’s accusations, but at that point, it was too late.

Lamar was widely regarded as the winner of the feud, and the information spread quickly, as “Not Like Us” continued to grow in popularity, garnering five Grammys and a spot in Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show lineup, which was the most-watched halftime show ever. 

Drake’s concern over “Not Like Us” revolves around the song falsely accusing him of being a sex offender and pedophile. Lamar’s track has multiple lyrics regarding this point, including “I hear you like ‘em young”, and in reference to Drake’s album “Certified Lover Boy? Certified pedophiles”. While the judge acknowledged that “the accusation that Plaintiff is a pedophile is certainly a serious one” within “the overall context in which the statements in the recording were made, the court holds that it cannot” be taken as factual statements. 

This ruling marks the concerning statements as “non-actionable opinion” because “Not Like US” is “replete with profanity, trash-talking, threats of violence, and figurative and hyperbolic language” and would not be taken by a reasonable person to be fact. The ruling absolves UMG of responsibility for promoting “Not Like Us”. Upon the dismissal of the lawsuit, UMG released a statement in agreement with the ruling, stating that “from the outset this suit was an affront to all artists and their creative expression and never should have seen the light of day”. Drake’s only response to the ruling was a statement from a spokesperson stating, “we intend to appeal today’s ruling and we look forward to the court of appeals reviewing it”. Drake’s spokesperson conveyed “we intend to appeal today, ruling and we look forward to the court of appeals reviewing it” through a statement.