A U.S. judge on Thursday dismissed rapper Drake’s defamation lawsuit against record label Universal Music Group for promoting Kendrick Lamar’s popular track ‘Not Like Us’, which calls him a pedophile.
Judge Jeanette Vargas found that Lamar, an American and unusual Pulitzer Prize winner for his lyrics, stated an “opinion” that did not constitute defamation, Variety reports, putting an end to a rap world feud that jumped into mainstream pop culture this year.
Lamar starred in the halftime concert of the Super Bowl, the biggest sporting and media event in the U.S., with so many spectators that his commercials are the most expensive, and performed ‘Not Like Us’, which was chanted by the stadium.
The judge said that “the fact that the recording was made in the midst of a rap battle is essential to assess its impact on a reasonable listener,” and noted that in that context Lamar’s statements in the song’s lyrics take on an opinionated character.
Drake ‘gets the short end of the stick’ in case against Universal Music
“Even apparent statements of fact take on the character of statements of opinion (…) when made in public debate, a heated labor dispute, or other circumstances in which an audience may anticipate the use of epithets, fierce rhetoric, or hyperbole,” he says.
On May 4, 2024, Lamar released ‘Not Like Us’, a Grammy winner for best recording and song of the year, in which he repeats decade-old accusations that Drake is a pedophile and has a secret daughter he refuses to acknowledge.
Drake sued Universal last January in a document in which he made no mention of Lamar and in which he alleged that with ‘Not Like Us,’ the label “chose to publish, promote, exploit and monetize allegations that it knew were not only false, but dangerous.”
The rapper, who is known for crushing his rivals with his songs and was one of the first celebrities to support Lamar, responded to the diss track with another song, ‘The Heart Part 6’, in which he denies being a pedophile, reported Agencia EFE.
Here you can watch the video of the song ‘Not Like Us’.
Find out more at ‘QueOnnda.com’.
