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Drake’s defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group The release of Kendrick Lamar’s scathing diss track “Not Like Us” has been scrapped.
The Canadian rapper is suing the music label, which represents both him and Lamar, over claims it spread a “false and malicious story” that he is a pedophile, citing lyrics like, “Say, Drake, I like you young” and “Certified lover boy? Certified pedophile.”
UMG filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuitdescribed his claims as “baseless and genuinely ridiculous”.
A judge on Thursday granted UMG’s motion to dismiss. In the filing, seen by Independent, The judge concluded that “the allegedly defamatory statements in ‘Not Like Us’ are non-actionable opinions.”
U.S. District Judge Janet Vargas said, “A reasonable listener could not conclude that ‘Not Like Us’ was stating objective facts about Drake.”
Vargas said: “The fact that the recording was made in the middle of a rap battle is essential to assessing its impact on a reasonable listener.
“Even clear statements of fact can assume the character of statements of opinion…when made in public debate, heated labor disputes, or other circumstances in which the audience might expect the use of epithets, fiery rhetoric, or hyperbole.”
The judge also did not agree with Drake’s legal team’s argument that UMG had manipulated streaming services to promote “Not Like Us”.
Vargas wrote: “To allege that UMG employed undercover practices to manipulate the streams of ‘Not Like Us’ and inflate the alleged popularity of the recordings, Plaintiffs relied on tweets7 from individual users and reporting from fans alleging that UMG used undercover tactics to manipulate the streams of ‘Not Like Us.'” The Court relied on online comments and reporting. Found the plaintiff’s reliance placed insufficient to meet the probability standard.
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Drake has been embroiled in a legal dispute with UMG since January, when he alleged that the record label knew the allegations made in Lamar’s chart-topping hit were false, but chose corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists.
UMG CEO and Chairman Lucien Grainge later filed a letter, Drake’s claims were called “ridiculous” and “nonsense”.
He said the company has spent “hundreds of millions” to further the “Passionfruit” rapper’s music career since he signed with the company’s Republic imprint in 2009.
UMG also filed a separate letter similarly ridiculing Drake’s claims.
“The premise of Drake’s proposal – that he could not lose a rap battle unless it were the product of some hypothetical secret conspiracy going to the top of UMG’s corporate structure – is absurd,” the filing states.