A U.S. federal judge tossed out on Thursday a defamation lawsuit that Toronto rapper Drake brought against his record label Universal Music Group (UMG), ruling that lyrics branding the superstar as a pedophile in Kendrick Lamar's diss track Not Like Us were opinion.
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."
The case stemmed from an epic feud between two of hip-hop's biggest stars over one of 2024 biggest songs, which won record of the year and song of the year at the Grammys, got the most Apple Music streams worldwide and helped make this year's Super Bowl halftime show the most watched ever.
Vargas said a reasonable listener could not have concluded that Not Like Us was conveying objective facts about Drake.
"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," Vargas wrote.
Kendrick Lamar performs during halftime of the NFL's Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans on Feb. 9. The performance, seen by more than 133 million people, included the diss track Not Like Us. (Matt Slocum/The Associated Press)Filed in January, the lawsuit alleged that UMG published and promoted the track even though it included false pedophilia allegations against Drake and suggested listeners should resort to vigilante justice.
The lawsuit also alleged that the track tarnished his reputation and decreased the value of his brand.
Universal Music Group, the parent record label for both artists, denied the allegations.
"From the outset, this suit was an affront to all artists and their creative expression and never should have seen the light of day," UMG said in a statement. "We're pleased with the court's dismissal and look forward to continuing our work successfully promoting Drake's music and investing in his career."
Lamar was not named in the lawsuit.
There was no immediate response to requests for comment from Drake's representatives.
WATCH | Kendrick Lamar performs Not Like Us in Toronto:Musician and broadcaster Odario Williams talks about the moment Kendrick Lamar performed his Grammy Award-winning Drake diss track Not Like Us to a sold-out Toronto crowd.Not Like Us was released as the two artists were trading a flurry of insult tracks. Lamar's song called out the Canadian-born Drake by name and impugned his authenticity, attacking him as "a colonizer" of rap culture who's "not like us" in Lamar's home turf of Compton, Calif., and, more broadly, West Coast rap.
Not Like Us also makes insinuations about Drake's sex life, including, "I hear you like 'em young" — implications that he rejects.
In his lawsuit, Drake asserted that the song amounts to "falsely accusing him of being a sex offender, engaging in pedophilic acts" and more.
He also blamed the tune for attempted break-ins and the shooting of a security guard at his Toronto home. The mansion was depicted in an aerial photo in the song's cover art.
The judge heard oral arguments on the request to toss out the lawsuit in June.