By Blake Brittain October 9 (Reuters) -A Federal Judge in Manhattan on Thursday dismissed superstar Drake’s defamation on Kendrick Lamar’s dissfit “Not Like US” against Universal Music Group, which releases both artists’ music. US district judge Jeannette Vargas said Lamar’s lyrics that accuse Drake of being a pedophile are not defamatory because it was an ‘effective opinion’. “Although the accusation that plaintiff is a pedophile is certainly a serious one, the broader context of a fierce rap struggle, with burning language and offensive accusations thrown by both participants, would not tend to believe that ‘does not give verifiable facts like us,” Vargas said. Attorneys of the representatives of Drake and Lamar did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the decision. UMG said it was satisfied with the discharge. “From the beginning, this suit was an insult to all artists and their creative expression and should never have seen it the light of the day,” Umg said in a statement. The company said it looked forward to “continuing our work to successfully promote Drake’s music and invest in his career.” Lamar and Drake, whose name is Aubrey Drake Graham, are working on a prolonged feud with several high-profile spores against each other. Drake sued UMG in January based on the promotion of ‘Not Like US’, and argued that the song’s false accusation that the Canadian rapper is a pedophile has endangered him and his family. The publications of the music industry said that Drake did not sue Lamar directly because the first amendment of the US Constitution provides strong protection for individual creative expression. Drake argued that UMG was responsible for the distribution and benefit of the song. ‘Not Like US’ won Grammy Awards in February for Record and Song of the Year. It spent two weeks at the top of Billboard’s hot 100 in 2024 and another week at number 1 after Lamar performed it at the Super Bowl half period. (Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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