Judge dismisses Drake's 'Not Like Us' defamation lawsuit against UMG

A federal judge has dismissed Drake’s defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar’s hit diss track “Not Like Us.”The ruling marks the legal culmination of a prolific feud between Drake and Lamar that spanned much of 2024, when the two rappers dropped a slew of tracks aimed at each other

A federal judge has dismissed Drake’s defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar’s hit diss track “Not Like Us.”

The ruling marks the legal culmination of a prolific feud between Drake and Lamar that spanned much of 2024, when the two rappers dropped a slew of tracks aimed at each other.

In January, Drake, whose real name is Aubrey Drake Graham, sued his record label in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, accusing UMG of defaming him by promoting “Not Like Us,” which contains lyrics accusing Drake of being a pedophile. (Lamar was not named as a defendant in the suit.)

UMG, which represents both Drake and Lamar through different divisions, fired back in March with a motion to dismiss, claiming the suit was “no more than Drake’s attempt to save face for his unsuccessful rap battle” with Lamar.

In her decision on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas granted the record label’s motion to dismiss, stating that “the allegedly defamatory statements in ‘Not Like Us’ are nonactionable opinion.”