"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."
"No reasonable person would view the image and believe that in fact law enforcement had designated thirteen residents in Drake's home as sex offenders."
"We intend to appeal today's ruling, and we look forward to the Court of Appeals reviewing it."
"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."
A federal court dismissed Drake's lawsuit against Universal Music Group, concluding the song 'Not Like Us' and its associated imagery amount to opinion rather than defamatory allegations. The court explained that incendiary language and offensive accusations within a heated rap battle would not lead a reasonable listener to infer verifiable facts, even when a serious accusation appears. The court described the single's artwork—an aerial view of the mansion with overlaid sex-offender markers—as obviously exaggerated and doctored and unlikely to be seen as official law-enforcement designations. Drake plans to appeal; UMG called the suit an affront to artistic expression.
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