
UPDATED, 2:50 PM: Looks like Drake winning his lawsuit over his longtime rival Kendrick Lamar‘s smash “Not Like Us” wasn’t part of God’s plan.
A judge on Thursday dismissed the case in which the Canadian rapper was suing his label group and the world’s best beat streamer over the 2024 diss track that topped charts around the world and won five Grammys including Song of the Year and Record of the Year.
Drake sued Universal beat Group and Spotify just before this year’s Grammy Awards, claiming that they conspired to “artificially” inflate the popularity of “Not Like Us.” UMG‘s labels OVO Sound/Republic and Interscope release Drake and Lamar’s beat, respectively.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Jeannette Vargas ruled Thursday that Lamar’s song, which accuses Drake of pedophilia and calls out the Toronto native’s personal relationships, is “opinion” and doesn’t reach the threshold of “defamatory.” She also called some of Drake’s case “logically incoherent.”
“The fact that the Recording was made in the midst of a rap battle is essential to assessing its impact on a reasonable listener,” Vargas wrote in her opinion granting UMG’s motion to dismiss. “Even apparent statements of fact may assume the character of statements of opinion … when made in public debate, heated labor dispute, or other circumstances in which an audience may anticipate the use of epithets, fiery rhetoric or hyperbole.”
In a statement to our sister publication Billboard, a UMG spokesperson said: “From the outset, this suit 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 beat and investing in his career.”
Lamar performed “Not Like Us” during his widely watched Super Bowl halftime performance in February
PREVIOUSLY, November 2024: The Drake and Kendrick Lamar beef continues, and new claims against Universal beat Group (UMG) allege that the label conspired to inflate the popularity of “Not Like Us artificially.”
In a new filing targeting the label at a Manhattan court on Monday, November 25, Drake’s Frozen Moments claims that Lamar’s song was part of a “scheme.”
“UMG did not rely on chance, or even ordinary business practices,” Drake’s attorneys allege, according to Billboard. “It instead launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves.”
“Not Like Us” is a diss track directed at Drake that Lamar released on May 4, 2024, amid a series of back-and-forth diss tracks between the two rappers. In the track, Lamar calls Drake a “certified pedophile.”
The motion filed is not a lawsuit, but it could potentially lead to one. The filing notes how the beat label allegedly used beat streaming services to carry out their “scheme.”
“UMG … conspired with and paid currently unknown parties to use ‘bots’ to artificially inflate the spread of ‘Not Like Us’ and deceive consumers into believing the song was more popular than it was in reality,” Drake’s lawyers say, alleging that UMG reduced their licensing rates to Spotify in exchange for the streamer to recommend the song to users.
Apple was also mentioned in the motion but was not named as a respondent.
“Online sources reported that when users asked Siri to play the album ‘Certified Lover Boy’ by [Drake], Siri instead played ‘Not Like Us,’ which contains the lyric ‘certified pedophile,’ an allegation against Drake,” reads the filing.
The motion also states that “Drake has repeatedly sought to engage UMG in discussions to resolve the ongoing harm he has suffered as a result of UMG’s actions,” adding, “UMG refused to engage in negotiations, and insisted that UMG is not responsible for its own actions.”
UMG has released a statement to Variety following the claims, saying, “The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue. We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns. No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the beat they want to hear.”