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Last year, the Drake vs Kendrick beef was all the rave! Fans believe that K. Dot took the victory and Drake took the L. Well... it seems like Drake has suffered another loss, this time with the last suit.
If you can recall last January, Drake filed a defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG), not Kendrick, over the promotion of K. Dot's diss track "Not Like Us".
Drake claimed that UMG approved, promoted, and profited from the track, which made false, damaging claims about him. He later added Kendrick's record-breaking Super Bowl performance to the case, saying it spread the accusations even more.
The Canadian rapper also asked for UMG’s internal documents and claimed some top executives were involved.
However, yesterday, the judge, Jeannette Vargas, dismissed the lawsuit, claiming that the lyrics (which include Drake being accused of being a "certified paedophile" are protected as non-actionable opinion, not statements of verifiable fact.
Judge Vargas also rejected arguments that the song's popularity or success should affect whether the song's lyrics are factual or mere opinions.
In the context of the lyrical battle between the rappers, the judge stated that a "reasonable" listener would understand the track as rhetorical, hyperbolic and expressive instead of being a factual claim.
According to Reuters, UMG welcomed the judge's ruling and defended it as a win for artistic freedom.
The "Nokia" rapper's legal team also fired back, indicating that they plan to appeal the ruling.