DRAKE FACES ANOTHER DEFEAT
DRAKE has not won any battles in his feud with rap rival Kendrick Lamar after his defamation lawsuit against his record label Universal Music Group (UMG) was dismissed by the court.
The Canadian rapper initiated legal action against UMG in January following the release of Kendrick Lamar’s 2024 diss track, “Not Like Us.”
As per legal documents and media reports, Drake accused UMG of colluding to exaggerate the Compton rapper’s streaming numbers and of defaming him through the diss track.
The “What Did I Miss” hitmaker claimed that the record label engaged in covert payments and provided discounted licensing agreements to amplify the song’s influence at his expense.
Drake’s legal representatives mentioned in a statement that the lawsuit was “not directed at Kendrick Lamar.”
“This lawsuit exposes the human and business ramifications of UMG’s prioritization of profits over the safety and well-being of its artists,” the statement continued.
In response, UMG asserted in January that Drake “deliberately and effectively utilized UMG to distribute his music and poetry to partake in conventionally extravagant, reciprocal rap disputes to express his views about other artists.”
“He now aims to weaponize the legal system to stifle an artist’s creative expression.”
Last Thursday, Judge Jeannette Vargas ruled that the lyrics of Lamar’s song, which accused Drake of being a pedophile, were not defamatory, as listeners would not interpret them as factual statements.
In her ruling, Vargas characterized the conflict between the rappers as “the most notorious rap battle in the genre’s history.”
The judge noted, “The artists’ seven-track rap battle was a ‘war of words’ that attracted significant media attention and online discussion.”
The judge clarified that the lyrics of the song reflect non-actionable opinions and fall firmly under the protections of free speech, meaning UMG could not be liable for distributing an artist’s creative output.
Lamar launched the “Not Like Us” diss track on May 4, 2024, escalating the feud significantly. The track topped the charts, earning the rapper five Grammy Awards, including “Record of the Year” and “Song of the Year.”
This ruling has elicited a variety of responses on social media, with some fans joking about his loss while others defended him, emphasizing that even top-tier artists experience setbacks and that an appeal might provide a chance to overturn the decision.
One X user @AnimeGuru100 commented: “Wasted everyone’s time, Drake further damaged his reputation and prolonged the beef unnecessarily. What a fool lol.”
In support, a fan named @onbrandviews stated: “When you’re as prominent as Drake, a loss in a beef and lawsuit doesn’t change your status as #1. Besides, no one is streaming ‘Not Like Us’ anymore anyway,” said another fan @onbrandviews.