UMG Slams ‘Not Like Us’ Lawsuit For Challenging…
Universal Music Group has issued a assertion following their big win against Drake in the courtroom, and Champagne Papi has launched one as properly.
Source: Prince Williams / Paras Griffin
In a ruling on Thursday, October 9, U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas decided that the lyrics of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” are expressions of opinion quite than statements of fact, per The Hollywood Reporter.
“A reasonable listener could not have concluded that ‘Not Like Us’ was conveying objective facts about Drake,” she ruled.
In a assertion to Billboard following their win, a spokesman for UMG said: “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.”
While the company appears excited to put this entire ordeal behind them, Drake’s crew also launched a assertion to BOSSIP, insisting this isn’t over.
“We intend to appeal today’s ruling, and we glance ahead to the Court of Appeals reviewing it.”
As beforehand reported, the Canadian rapper’s legal battle grew to embody more than UMG’s alleged defamation.
Most just lately, his crew demanded inside paperwork tied to allegations of home violence against Lamar and probing the character of Dave Free’s relationship with Lamar’s youngsters.
In those filings, Drake’s legal professionals sought “All Documents and Communications … relating to allegations of domestic violence … committed by Kendrick Lamar.” They also requested supplies on “David Isaac Friley (a/k/a Dave Free) and his relationship with Kendrick Lamar and Kendrick Lamar’s children.”
The requests mirrored lyrics from Lamar’s The Heart Part 6, in which Drake floated solutions that one of Lamar’s youngsters may not be biologically his, but fathered by Dave Free instead.
Drake also accused UMG of orchestrating a “financial conspiracy” by selling Lamar’s music at the expense of his model, making secret funds, and decreasing licensing affords to third events to suppress Drake’s worth during contract talks. His crew also demanded UMG produce redacted variations of Lamar’s report contract (claiming it was unfairly censored), and documentation involving prior label censorship (citing Pusha T’s “Story of Adidon”) as precedent.
The Degrassi alum initially filed his lawsuit against UMG in January 2025, accusing the music giant of knowingly defaming him. His grievance centered on Kendrick Lamar’s hit diss monitor, “Not Like Us,” which famously referred to Drake as a “child predator.” Drake alleged that UMG not only distributed this music but also promoted it through “illegal means.”
UMG, for its half, vehemently denied the claims, asserting that the notion they might “seek to harm the reputation of any artist —let alone Drake—is illogical.”
“Plaintiff, one of the most successful recording artists of all time, lost a rap battle that he provoked and in which he willingly participated,” UMG’s legal professionals wrote in a submitting asking for a dismissal. “Instead of accepting the loss like the unbothered rap artist he often claims to be, he has sued his own record label in a misguided attempt to salve his wounds.”
The defamation go well with got here after Drake alleged in November 2024 that UMG and Spotify deployed bots to “artificially inflate” the success of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” violating the RICO Act.
The post UMG Slams ‘Not Like Us’ Lawsuit For Challenging ‘Creative Expression’ After Big Win, Says Company Looks Forward To Investing In Drake appeared first on GWN.