Universal Music Group will not have to face lawsuit from Drake , who accused the record company of defamation over its distribution and promotion of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.”
Dismissing the case, U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas found on Thursday that Lamar’s diss track advances opinions that can’t be considered defamatory. “A reasonable listener could not have concluded that ‘Not Like Us’ was conveying objective facts about Drake,” she wrote.
Lamar (Interscope Records) and Drake (Republic Records) are represented by two different labels in the UMG system. Their rap battle turned to court earlier this year when the Toronto rapper claimed that UMG, which oversaw the distribution of “Not Like Us,” spread defamatory allegations that he’s a pedophile by making secret payment