"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."
"In May 2024, Drake released "Family Matters," which accused Lamar of domestic violence and his collaborator, Dave Free, of fathering Lamar's son. Twenty minutes later, Lamar released his response-a song called "Meet the Grahams" in which Lamar alleged Drake was not only a liar, but a sexual predator and trafficker. Then, two days later, Lamar doubled down with the now infamous "Not Like Us," which accused Drake of being a pedophile."
"Eight months after the track was released, Drake filed a defamation lawsuit against UMG. In the suit, Drake claimed Lamar "assassinated" his character. The self-proclaimed "certified lover boy" further asserted that the Super Bowl performance (and Lamar's Grammy wins) "introduced new listeners to the recording," which "duped" a wider audience "into believing that Drake was a pedophile.""
A federal judge dismissed Drake's defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group, finding Kendrick Lamar's accusations in "Not Like Us" were opinion within a heated rap battle and not verifiable facts. The court noted that incendiary language and offensive accusations exchanged between artists would not lead a reasonable listener to treat the track as factual. The feud intensified in spring 2024 when Drake released "Family Matters," prompting Lamar responses including "Meet the Grahams" and "Not Like Us," which accused Drake of pedophilia. Drake later sued UMG claiming the song and Lamar's subsequent exposure duped new listeners into believing the allegations.
Read at Jezebel
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