In January of this year, Drake officially sued Universal Music Group for alleged defamation and harassment. In the suit, he alleged that the company artificially inflated the success of Kendrick Lamar's hit diss track "Not Like Us" and contributed to the "false and malicious" narrative that he's an alleged predator.
He was seeking punitive and compensatory damages, but now, the lawsuit has been dismissed by Judge Jeannette Vargas. In her ruling, she claimed that Kendrick's song lyrics can't be considered defamatory because they wouldn't be taken as fact by listeners.
“The artists’ seven-track rap battle was a ‘war of words’ that was the subject of substantial media scrutiny and online discourse,” she 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 Dismissed
Of course, Drake's latest L has earned mixed reactions from social media users. While some are disappointed, most are out in full force clowning him.
"How embarrassing! [laughing emoji]. Drake just needs to move on, make new music and never mention the battle again," one X user writes. "Kendrick’s so good with his lyricism, even the court agrees," someone else claims.
Others are coming to his defense, like one fan who says, "When you’re as big as Drake you can lose a beef and a lawsuit and you’re still #1. Nobodies playing ‘Not Like Us’ anymore anyways [crying emoji]." At the time of writing, Drake has yet to publicly address the dismissal.
Social Media Reacts To Drake's UMG Lawsuit Dismissal
