{"id":106154,"date":"2025-10-10T10:14:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T09:14:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/?p=106154"},"modified":"2025-10-10T10:14:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T09:14:08","slug":"drakes-defamation-lawsuit-officially-dismissed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/drakes-defamation-lawsuit-officially-dismissed\/","title":{"rendered":"Drake\u2019s defamation lawsuit officially dismissed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 style=\"user-select: auto;\"><span style=\"color: #3366ff; user-select: auto;\">A judge has dismissed Drake\u2019s lawsuit tied to Kendrick Lamar\u2019s Not Like Us. Find out why the court sided with UMG and what comes next.<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Drake\u2019s defamation lawsuit over Kendrick Lamar\u2019s <em>\u201cNot Like Us\u201d<\/em> has officially been dismissed by a New York federal judge, ending one of the most unexpected legal twists to come out of last year\u2019s biggest rap feud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The lawsuit, filed in January 2025, accused Universal Music Group (UMG) of defamation and \u201creckless promotion\u201d after they distributed and marketed Lamar\u2019s hit diss track, which contained pointed references accusing Drake of inappropriate behavior. The rapper argued that UMG \u201cknowingly amplified\u201d false and damaging claims that endangered both him and his family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In her ruling, Judge Jeannette Vargas sided with UMG, stating that Lamar\u2019s lyrics were clearly artistic expression and not statements of fact. She emphasized that in the context of a public rap battle, known for exaggeration, insult, and bravado, the lyrics fell under the umbrella of protected opinion. \u201cA reasonable listener,\u201d the judge wrote, \u201cwould understand the song\u2019s language as hyperbolic and figurative, not literal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The decision effectively shields record labels and artists from similar claims in the future, reaffirming that lyrical content, especially in competitive or performative genres, is granted broad creative protection under U.S. law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>UMG responded to the verdict by praising the outcome, saying it protected \u201cartistic freedom and creative expression.\u201d Drake\u2019s representatives, meanwhile, have indicated plans to appeal, maintaining that the accusations in the song crossed a legal line. The feud between Drake and Lamar dominated pop culture through much of 2024, spawning viral moments, public debates, and a series of chart-topping diss tracks that blurred the lines between art, rivalry, and personal attack. With <em>\u201cNot Like Us\u201d<\/em> becoming one of the year\u2019s defining hits, this legal ruling closes one chapter of the drama, though, if Drake\u2019s team follows through on their appeal, it might not be over just yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.routenote.com\">Distribute your music for FREE with RouteNote!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A judge has dismissed Drake\u2019s lawsuit tied to Kendrick Lamar\u2019s Not Like Us. Find out why the court sided with UMG and what comes next. Drake\u2019s defamation lawsuit over Kendrick Lamar\u2019s \u201cNot Like Us\u201d has officially been dismissed by a New York federal judge, ending one of the most unexpected legal twists to come out of last year\u2019s biggest rap feud. The lawsuit, filed in January 2025, accused Universal Music Group (UMG) of defamation and \u201creckless promotion\u201d after they distributed and marketed Lamar\u2019s hit diss track, which contained pointed references accusing Drake of inappropriate behavior. The rapper argued that UMG&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":103605,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11109],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v18.4.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Drake\u2019s defamation lawsuit officially dismissed - RouteNote Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/drakes-defamation-lawsuit-officially-dismissed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Drake\u2019s defamation lawsuit officially dismissed - RouteNote Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A judge has dismissed Drake\u2019s lawsuit tied to Kendrick Lamar\u2019s Not Like Us. Find out why the court sided with UMG and what comes next. Drake\u2019s defamation lawsuit over Kendrick Lamar\u2019s \u201cNot Like Us\u201d has officially been dismissed by a New York federal judge, ending one of the most unexpected legal twists to come out of last year\u2019s biggest rap feud. The lawsuit, filed in January 2025, accused Universal Music Group (UMG) of defamation and \u201creckless promotion\u201d after they distributed and marketed Lamar\u2019s hit diss track, which contained pointed references accusing Drake of inappropriate behavior. The rapper argued that UMG...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/drakes-defamation-lawsuit-officially-dismissed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"RouteNote Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-10T09:14:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/cover.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Emily Howarth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"RouteNote\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/\",\"sameAs\":[],\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/#logo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/routenote-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/routenote-logo.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":1000,\"caption\":\"RouteNote\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/#logo\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"RouteNote Blog\",\"description\":\"The World of Digital Music - Distribution - Stores and Free Music\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/drakes-defamation-lawsuit-officially-dismissed\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/drake.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/drake.jpeg\",\"width\":1100,\"height\":733,\"caption\":\"ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 9: Rapper Drake performs onstage during \\\"Lil Baby &amp; Friends Birthday Celebration Concert\\\" at State Farm Arena on December 9, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. 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