Breaking news has just hit the hip-hop world as it has been revealed by Billboard that Drake's defamation lawsuit against UMG has been dismissed. The rapper was suing UMG over Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us," which includes bars about Drake allegedly being a pedophile.
According to Judge Jeannette Vargas, the fact that these allegations were made during a rap battle shows that there was never a case to begin with. UMG had previously filed to dismiss the case. Judge Vargas approved that motion. Her statement was carefully crafted and strongly-worded.
“The artists’ seven-track rap battle was a ‘war of words’ that was the subject of substantial media scrutiny and online discourse,” the judge wrote. “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.”
Drake UMG Lawsuit
Drake's defamation lawsuit against UMG had been filed all the way back in January, and at the time, Drake was made fun of for it. Most fans felt like it was a cheap attempt at reclaiming the narrative following the rapper's loss to Kendrick Lamar.
Some Drake fans saw this as a spark of genius. He was effectively taking an "evil" corporation to task at the behest of the entire music industry. Subsequent moves proved that Drake's motives weren't what they were cracked up to be. Meanwhile, the rap purists absolutely hated this move. It was anti-hip-hop in nature, and put the future of rap beef at risk.
Now, Drake has egg on his face, but it's not over. Moving forward, Drake can appeal the decision with a federal court. We imagine his legal team will explore every option to still win the case. However, Judge Vargas has been very explicit in how rap beef does not constitute as defamation. If anything, this sets a good precedent for hip-hop. Only time will tell whether or not it stands.
