Drake just secured another tangential L in his someow still ongoing battle with Kendrick Lamar. A judge dismissed Drizzy’s defamation lawsuit against the Universal Music Group, the same label he is signed to along with K. Dot.
The Associated Press reports that a federal judge ruled that Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” which accuses the 6 God of being a “certified pedophile,” isn’t defamation because it is opinion.
Per the AP:
Judge Jeannette A. Vargas rejected the suit in a written opinion that began by citing “the vitriolic war of words” and saying the case arose “from perhaps the most infamous rap battle in the genre’s history.”
Drake filed his defamation suit in January 2025. While his fans might have been good with the decision, it seems like te vast majority of Hip-Hop culture didn’t take too kindly to the “One Dance” rapper bringing the U.S. Justice System into a rap battle.
Now, Judge Vargas has handed Drake another L, this time in court. “Although the accusation that Plaintiff is a pedophile is certainly a serious one, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with incendiary language and offensive accusations hurled by both participants, would not incline the reasonable listener to believe that ‘Not Like Us’ imparts verifiable facts about Plaintiff,” wrote Vargas in her opinion.
Elsewhere, the judge noted that “Not Like Us” had a “catchy beat and propulsive baseline.”
Bruh…
As for the thoughts of the Hip-Hop peanut gallery on social media, Drake might want to turn his mentions off. Don’t shoot the messenger, we’re just sharing some of the reactions for archival purposes.
