After Drake accused the parent company of his own label of “defamation”, he promptly sued Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us.
As you’ll no doubt remember, simply because the beef was EVERYWHERE, Drake and Kendrick Lamar got into it over the latter’s Not Like Us. A certified bop, the song alluded to Drake and his friends being “certified paedophiles” amidst other references to an attraction to minors. Kendrick performed it at the Super Bowl, and Not Like Us soon racked up awards, including five Grammys.
He filed the lawsuit in January, alleging that Universal Music Group had made secret payments and offered discounted licensing deals to boost the song’s reach. Drake, the same Drake who was earlier dragged for fake abs, claimed the song had damaged his brand.
UMG filed for a dismissal in May, and this week, a judge came to a final decision.
Drake’s UMG lawsuit was dismissed – ouch
On Thursday, US District Judge Jeannette Vargas said that Not Like Us expressed a “non-actionable opinion” that did not constitute defamation. In one final gut punch in the highly publicised beef, she dismissed Drake’s lawsuit against UMG.
“The issue in this case is whether Not Like Us can reasonably be understood to convey as a factual matter that Drake is a pedophile or that he has engaged in sexual relations with minors,” the judgment stated. “In light of the overall context in which the statements in the recording were made, the court holds that it cannot.”
Despite his lawsuit against them, UMG took the judgment in its stride as if offered a statement to Variety.
“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 music and investing in his career,” the company said.
View this post on Instagram
The same could not be said of Drake, whose lawyers issued a bitter betty statement in response to the UMG lawsuit being dropped.
“We intend to appeal today’s ruling, and we look forward to the court of appeals reviewing it,” they said.
Kendrick Lamar has not publicly commented, which is not surprising as he’s proboably shining his Grammys.
For more like this, like The Tab on Facebook.
Featured image credit: Drake/Instagram and Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock
