The Brief

A federal judge dismissed Drake's defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group, ruling that Kendrick Lamar's lyrics were opinion rather than factual statements.

The lawsuit was part of a high-profile feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, stemming from the latter's song "Not Like Us."

NEW YORK (AP) - A defamation lawsuit that Drake brought against Universal Music Group was tossed out Thursday by a federal judge who said lyrics branding the superstar as a pedophile in Kendrick Lamar’s diss track "Not Like Us" were opinion.

Judge Jeannette A. Vargas rejected the suit in a written opinion that began by citing " the vitriolic war of words " that erupted in spring 2024 and saying the case arose "from perhaps the most infamous rap battle in the genre’s history."

The case

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