Tag:

UMG

Drake Files Appeal To Reopen Defamation Case Against UMG Over Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us"
Celebrity News

Drake Files Appeal To Reopen Defamation Case Against UMG Over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us”

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Drake Files Appeal To Reopen Defamation Case Against UMG Over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us”

Seems like #Drake is really trying to leave his latest rap battle with something.

The Toronto native has filed an appeal to revive his defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group (#UMG), stemming from #KendrickLamar’s Grammy-winning diss record, Not Like Us. Originally dismissed by a judge earlier this month, the rapper’s team argues the court erred by treating the song’s allegations, including claims he is a “certified pedophile,’ as non-actionable opinion.

As reported, District Judge Jeannette Vargas said, “The fact that the Recording was made in the midst of a rap battle is essential to assessing its impact on a reasonable listener.” Judge Vargas added, “Even apparent statements of fact may assume the character of statements of opinion… when made in public debate, heated labor dispute, or other circumstances in which an audience may anticipate the use of epithets, fiery rhetoric or hyperbole.”

The appeal marks the next chapter in a contentious legal battle that began when Drake sued UMG in January 2025, alleging the label “approved, published and launched a campaign” around the song despite knowing it contained false and dangerous accusations against him.

Do you think Drake’s taking things too far, or is he right to fight this one out??


0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Judge Dismisses Drake Defamation Lawsuit Universal Music Group UMG Kendrick Lamar Not Like Us
Celebrity News

Judge Tosses Lawsuit Against UMG Over ‘Not Like Us’

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Drake is again walking away holding an L(oss) from a battle involving Kendrick Lamar. On Thursday (October 9), a judge dismissed the defamation lawsuit Drizzy filed against Universal Music Group (UMG) over the hit song, ‘Not Like Us.’ The federal official ruled that Kenny’s lyrics were opinion, per the Associated Press. While Drake hasn’t spoken out yet, others involved in making the track, including Mustard, seemingly have!

RELATED: Yikes! Social Media Goes OFF After Kendrick Lamar Clowns Drake With THIS Skit At First Tour Stop (VIDEO)

Judge Explains Why She Tossed Drake’s Lawsuit Against UMG 

As previously reported, Drake’s and Kendrick Lamar’s rap beef exploded in the spring of 2024. The superstars traded shots from the booth for several rounds. Then, in May, Lamar put a nail in Drizzy’s metaphorical coffin with ‘Not Like Us.’ The song became a cultural phenomenon and ate the charts up—same energy for the music video he released in July. Even celebrities once tight with Drake, such as LeBron James, picked sides. And, spoiler alert, it often wasn’t the Canadian rapper’s!

‘Not Like Us,’ which calls out Drake by name, attacks him as “a colonizer” of rap culture. It also makes serious allegations about his sex life, including “I hear you like ’em young” — a claim Drake has rejected. This week, Judge Jeannette A. Vargas acknowledged in her written opinion that ‘Not Like Us’ explicitly branded Drake as a pedophile. However, Vargas said a reasonable listener could not have concluded that the song revealed objective facts about Drake.

“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,” Judge Vargas wrote.

An aerial photo depicting Drake’s mansion doubles as the song’s cover art. The photo, per the judge, had “an overlay of more than a dozen sex offender markers,” but Vargas said it was “obviously exaggerated and doctored.”

“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,” Judge Vargas wrote.

Judge Vargas also pointed out that Drizzy, too, took low blows in the rap beef. Before ‘Not Like Us,’ she said Drake mocked Kendrick Lamar’s height and shoe size. Additionally, he questioned Lamar’s success in the April 2024 track ‘Push Ups.’ Meanwhile, Kendrick Lamar insulted Drizzy’s fashion sense that same month in ‘Euphoria.’ Judge Vargas wrote that the insults escalated from there, becoming “vicious, personal.”

Considering the medium the rappers used to insult each other, Judge Vargas concluded that the average listener knows better. She said listeners would not consider a diss track “a product of a thoughtful or disinterested investigation, conveying to the public fact-checked verifiable content.”

Per AP, Vargas wrote that ‘Not Like Us’ was “replete with profanity, trash-talking, threats of violence, and figurative and hyperbolic language, all of which are indicia of opinion.” A reasonable listener, she added, “would conclude that Lamar is rapping hyperbolic vituperations.”

Drake’s Team & UMG Reacts To Lawsuit Dismissal

After the decision, Drake’s legal team issued a statement: “We intend to appeal today’s ruling, and we look forward to the Court of Appeals reviewing it.”

For context, Drizzy filed the lawsuit in January. It does not name Kendrick Lamar. Instead, the paperwork alleges Universal Music Group (UMG) intentionally published and promoted ‘Not Like Us,’ despite knowing the lyrics contained false and defamatory allegations. The lawsuit claims the song messed up his reputation and decreased the value of his brand. Additionally, Drake alleged that the song encourages listeners to use vigilante justice against him. He even blamed ‘Not Like Us’ for attempted break-ins and the shooting of a security guard at his Toronto home.

UMG immediately denied the allegations. Interestingly, Universal Music Group is the parent record label for both Drake and Kendrick Lamar. It released a statement following the lawsuit dismissal.

“From the outset, this suit was an affront to all artists and their creative expression and never should have seen the light of day,” UMG said. “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.”

Mustard Shares THIS Post After Dismissal 

It’s no debate that ‘Not Like Us’ was one of 2024’s biggest songs. Even Judge Vargas described it as having a “catchy beat and propulsive bassline.” Outside of court, Kendrick Lamar’s diss won record of the year and song of the year at the Grammys. It also helped make this year’s Super Bowl halftime show the most-watched ever, as fans speculated whether Lamar would actually perform it. He did, but with altered lyrics and the acknowledgment of the UMG lawsuit!

Mustard, who produced the diss, joined Kenny on the Super Bowl stage. He’s stuck by the artist’s rivalry with Drake. After the dismissal news on Thursday, Mustard took to X with a post that has fans thinking it’s a response to the legal update!

Meanwhile, social media users on the same platform haven’t stopped cuttin’ up YET. See additional reactions HERE.

RELATED: Bye King! Drake Ditches LeBron James Tattoo For New Tribute To Canadian NBA Baller (PHOTO)

Associated Press writers Larry Neumeister, Andrew Dalton and Jennifer Peltz contributed to this report via AP Newsroom. 

What Do You Think Roomies?

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Drake’s ‘Not Like Us’ defamation lawsuit against UMG dismissed by judge
Celebrity News

Drake’s ‘Not Like Us’ defamation lawsuit against UMG dismissed by judge

by jummy84
written by jummy84

A United States federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit that Drake brought against Universal Music Group (UMG), accusing the record company of defamation over its distribution and promotion of Kendrick Lamar’s diss track, Not Like Us.

District Judge Jeannette Vargas dismissed the suit after she said Lamar’s Not Like Us was a “nonactionable opinion” that is not considered defamatory.

The feud between two of hip-hop’s biggest stars erupted in the spring of 2024, with the pair trading a series of tracks that culminated in Lamar landing the “metaphorical killing blow” with his megahit that May, Vargas said in her written opinion Thursday.

“The fact that the Recording was made in the midst of a rap battle is essential to assessing its impact on a reasonable listener,” Vargas wrote. “Even apparent statements of fact may assume the character of statements of opinion … when made in public debate, heated labor dispute, or other circumstances in which an audience may anticipate the use of epithets, fiery rhetoric or hyperbole.”

Story continues below advertisement

While the track’s lyrics explicitly branded Drake as a pedophile, Vargas said, a reasonable listener could not have concluded that Not Like Us was conveying objective facts about the Canadian superstar.

“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,” Vargas wrote.

Recapping “perhaps the most infamous rap battle in the genre’s history,” Vargas noted that before Not Like Us, Drake mocked Lamar’s height and shoe size and questioned his success in an April 2024 track called Push Ups, while Lamar insulted Drake’s fashion sense that same month in Euphoria.

From there, Vargas wrote, the insults escalated, becoming “vicious, personal.”

The judge said she considered the forum in which the insults occurred and concluded that the average listener does not think a diss track “is the product of a thoughtful or disinterested investigation, conveying to the public factchecked verifiable content.”


Click to play video: 'Lawsuit reveals new details about shooting at Drake’s Toronto home'


Lawsuit reveals new details about shooting at Drake’s Toronto home


After the ruling, a spokesperson for UMG told Variety that, “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.”

Story continues below advertisement

Drake’s representatives told the outlet that they intend to appeal Thursday’s ruling, “and we look forward to the Court of Appeals reviewing it.”

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Get daily National news

Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Not Like Us — described by Vargas as having a “catchy beat and propulsive bassline” — was one of 2024’s biggest songs.

It won record of the year and song of the year at the Grammys and helped make this year’s Super Bowl halftime show the most watched ever, as fans speculated on whether Lamar would actually perform it. (He did, but with altered lyrics.)


In January, Drake filed the defamation lawsuit against UMG, the record label he and rival Lamar are both signed to.

The Toronto rapper referred to the release of Lamar’s diss track as an example of “corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists,” according to the New York Times.

In his filing, Drake’s team said the diss track aimed at the Canadian rapper spreads the “false and malicious narrative” that he is a pedophile. The filing stated that Drake is “not a pedophile” and has “never engaged in any acts that would require him to be ‘placed on neighborhood watch.’”

Trending Now

  • ‘I still feel vulnerable’: Former worker at fined N.B. seafood company speaks out

  • Disneyland visitor found dead after riding Haunted Mansion attraction

“Drake has never engaged in sexual relations with a minor. Drake has never been charged with, or convicted of, any criminal acts whatsoever,” the suit read.

Story continues below advertisement

The lawsuit went on to detail a shooting at Drake’s home a few days after the song was released, resulting in a security guard being seriously injured.

“During the nearly 30 minutes it took for the ambulance to arrive, Drake and others laboured to keep the man alive by applying pressure to the gunshot wound with towels. Blood was everywhere,” the filing read.


Click to play video: 'Police investigate shooting at Drake’s Toronto mansion amid rapper’s beef with Kendrick Lamar'


Police investigate shooting at Drake’s Toronto mansion amid rapper’s beef with Kendrick Lamar




According to the suit, nothing like that had happened to Drake or his family during the two decades that he had been working in the music industry.

The lawsuit also stated that the multiple break-in attempts on his home that happened following the release of the song were caused by UMG’s actions.

“With the palpable physical threat to Drake’s safety and the bombardment of online harassment, Drake fears for the safety and security of himself, his family, and his friends,” according to the suit.

Story continues below advertisement

Drake’s team made it known that the lawsuit was not directed at Lamar and clearly placed the blame on Universal for releasing, distributing and promoting the song.

“This lawsuit is not about the artist who created Not Like Us,” the suit read. “It is, instead, entirely about UMG, the music company that decided to publish, promote, exploit, and monetize allegations that it understood were not only false, but dangerous.”

The feud between Drake and Lamar is among the biggest in hip-hop in recent years, with two of the genre’s biggest stars at its centre.

The two were occasional collaborators more than a decade ago, but Lamar began taking public jabs at Drake starting in 2013. The fight escalated steeply earlier last year.

— With files from The Associated Press

Curator Recommendations

  • Amazon Prime Day ends tonight: Grab these top best sellers still in stock!

  • Kick off holiday shopping with Amazon Prime Big Deal Days bestsellers

&copy 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
bitchy | A federal judge dismissed Drake’s lawsuit against UMG, a rap battle isn’t ‘against the law’
Celebrity News

bitchy | A federal judge dismissed Drake’s lawsuit against UMG, a rap battle isn’t ‘against the law’

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Last year, Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s years-long simmering beef came to a boil. First it was Kendrick’s verse on Future & Metro’s “Like That.” Then Drake spent weeks trying to goad Kendrick into a rap battle. Kendrick finally responded, dropping four songs in less than a week. The last two songs, “Meet the Grahams” and “Not Like Us” came out within 24 hours, and they were perfectly executed disses. “Not Like Us” became the song of the year (literally, it won the Grammy for SOTY) and Kendrick even performed “Not Like Us” and “Euphoria” during the Super Bowl Halftime. Drake has not been the same since. Instead of just licking his wounds, taking the L like a man and going away for a year, Drake decided to make a horse’s ass out of himself in like twenty different ways. Notably, Drake sued UMG – his label, and the label which has a licensing deal with Kendrick’s pgLang. In his lawsuit, Drake claimed that UMG *wanted* Kendrick to beat him in the rap battle, and UMG helped Kendrick in some way which Drake could never prove. Well, long story short, a judge just threw out Drake’s lawsuit. Hahahaha LOSER.

A federal judge on Thursday (Oct. 9) dismissed Drake’s defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” ruling that a “war of words” during a “heated rap battle” did not violate the law.

Drake’s case, filed earlier this year, claimed that UMG defamed him by releasing Lamar’s scathing diss track, which tarred his arch-rival as a “certified pedophile.” He believed that millions of people took that lyric literally, severely harming his reputation. But just ten months later, Judge Jeannette Vargas granted UMG’s motion to dismiss the case at the outset – ruling that Kendrick’s insulting lyrics were the kind of “hyperbole” that cannot be defamatory because listeners would not think they were statements of fact.

“The artists’ seven-track rap battle was a ‘war of words’ that was the subject of substantial media scrutiny and online discourse,” the judge wrote. “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.”

The ruling marks an abrupt end to a legal battle that stunned the music industry. Few expected a rapper to respond to a diss track with a lawsuit – a move that drew ridicule in the hip hop world and condemnation from legal scholars. Fewer still expected him to file it against UMG, his longtime record label and the biggest music company in the world.

Drake’s attorneys can appeal the ruling to a federal appeals court. His attorneys did not immediately return a request for comment. A spokesman for UMG also did not immediately return a request for comment.

[From Billboard]

While I didn’t follow the minute details of this lawsuit, I saw enough to say that UMG actually took the right position at the start of the beef. UMG’s management basically chose to sit on the sidelines and let the rap battle play out. They didn’t choose sides – they just didn’t “help” Drake, which is why he sued them. He’s spent the past decade getting high from his own supply, and he thought his label would tip the scale in his favor. All of the things he accused UMG of – without evidence, mind you – was projection, I believe. Drake thought UMG was doing all of that against him, because he was used to UMG propping him up.

Here’s the “Not Like Us” video again. It has over 403 million views. The YT video of just the song (with Megan’s Law markers over Drake’s house) has over 258 million views.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red, Drake’s IG. Screencaps courtesy of the “NLU” video and the NFL/Super Bowl.

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
AI Music Detection Tech Company Partners With UMG and Sony
Music

AI Music Detection Tech Company Partners With UMG and Sony

by jummy84
written by jummy84

SoundPatrol has entered a partnership with Universal Music Group and Sony Music to protect artists from copyright infringement coming from AI music models.

According to a press release, SoundPatrol specializes in using a “forensic AI model for audio-video fingerprinting.” Through neural fingerprinting, SoundPatrol claims it can analyze fully (or partially) AI generated songs to identify influences and traces of human-made music.

Related

For the music industry, finding out ways to fingerprint, track and attribute traces of copyrighted material in AI songs is the key to properly compensating and crediting talent for their work when it’s used to influence AI models. In recent months, AI companies like Udio and Music AI have proactively announced partnerships with Audible Magic to help fingerprint their works.

But UMG and Sony’s approval of SoundPatrol’s “neural fingerprinting” approach represents a major co-sign for this type of technology, which SoundPatrol claims is “a significant advancement beyond traditional audio fingerprinting techniques”

“Traditional audio fingerprinting… primarily rel[ies] on matching exact audio snippets. Neural embeddings capture semantic relationships to identify covers, remixes and generative-AI derivatives,” the press release states. SoundPatrol also has future plans to develop tools and models that will “proactively help third-party platforms and research labs prevent copyright violations,” the press release reads.

SoundPatrol is a company that originated in a Stanford University lab and was founded by top AI, machine learning and cybersecurity academics. This includes Walter De Brouwer Ph. D., SoundPatrol’s co-founder and CEO, and Percy Liang Ph. D. (director of the Center for Foundation Models and leading Stanford’s Marin, the Open Lab for Building Foundation Models), Chris Re, Ph. D. (Stanford AI Lab, Director of FactoryHQ), and Dan Boneh, Ph. D. (Director of the Applied Cryptography Lab and Co Director of the Cybersecurity Lab).

Related

Xania Monet

Lucian Grainge, UMG’s chairman and CEO, says of the deal: “We’re constantly focused on enabling AI — bringing to market the many commercial and creative opportunities that will benefit our artists while establishing effective tools to protect them. Bringing solutions to the table that support the entire industry is at the heart of our relationship with SoundPatrol, who share our commitment to safeguarding our artists’ creative integrity and work.”

“The possibilities of AI present opportunities for artists and creators when used the right way,” says Dennis Kooker, president of global digital business at Sony Music. “We’re committed to navigating this developing landscape by protecting their work while also exploring the innovative potential of these technologies. Our collaboration with SoundPatrol is about respecting artists’ rights to build a sustainable and equitable ecosystem for everyone.”

“Generative AI is transforming music in extraordinary ways, but if we abandon copyright, we risk severing artists from ownership of their own work,” says Walter De Brouwer, SoundPatrol co-founder and CEO. “It is compulsory to proactively feed deep embeddings of these neural signatures into streaming infrastructures so that owners can maintain control, authenticity, and monetization of their intellectual property in the generative AI era. Eliminating copyright to accelerate AI is like changing the speed of light to advance physics — it misunderstands the fundamental laws that sustain creativity.”

Michael Ovitz, SoundPatrol co-founder and chairman of the board, adds: “This is a huge victory for all artists in the creative universe.” He continued: “One of the premier issues affecting artists has always been the protection of their intellectual property rights. SoundPatrol has answered the long-standing problem of IP theft by creating a frontier lab with neural fingerprinting capabilities that can identify all pipelines of directly transmitted content, whether on its own or intermixed, in real time. This is the first of-its-kind technology implemented to protect all copyright holders and creators of any type of intellectual property.”


Billboard VIP Pass

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
ASAP Rocky Criticizes Drake For UMG Lawsuit Over "Not Like Us"
Music

ASAP Rocky Criticizes Drake For UMG Lawsuit Over “Not Like Us”

by jummy84
written by jummy84

A$AP Rocky is weighing in on the latest development in the ongoing fallout between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, particularly Drake’s surprising legal maneuver against Universal Music Group over Lamar’s chart-topping diss track, “Not Like Us.”

The Harlem rapper, whose cover story in ELLE was published Tuesday (Sept. 23), reflected on the lyrical clash that dominated spring 2024, producing standout tracks like Kendrick’s “Euphoria” and Drake’s fiery rebuttal “Family Matters,” which included digs at Rocky himself.

Still, Rocky chose not to jump into the fray.

A$AP Rocky attends 2021 Tribeca Festival Premiere of “Stockholm Syndrome”at Battery Park on June 13, 2021 in New York City.

Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival

“It was healthy for Hip-Hop,” A$AP said of the rivalry, noting that the duel reinvigorated rap’s competitive spirit. “The battle was between Kendrick and Drake, not Drake and everybody else who might have said something at that time. And that’s mainly why I fell back.”

But Rocky admitted his respect for the battle soured once Drake chose to take legal action over “Not Like Us,” a diss that went from a viral anthem to a cultural juggernaut, dominating charts and airwaves.

Drake

Drake watches on as the Sacramento Kings play the Toronto Raptors during the second half of their basketball game at the Scotiabank Arena on November 2, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Mark Blinch/Getty Images

“I just hate the way it’s turning out with [Drake] suing and all that,” Rocky said. “What part of the game is that? What type of sh*t is that? That’s none of my business, I guess.”

Rocky’s critique carries an added weight considering his complicated history with Drake. Once collaborators and tourmates, their relationship has since fractured, reportedly accelerated by Rocky’s romance with Rihanna.

A$AP Rocky

*Exclusive Coverage* – A$AP Rocky and Drake attend the FIFA 14 Launch at The Union Square Ballroom on September 23, 2013 in New York City.

Theo Wargo/Getty Images

Drake and Rihanna’s on-again-off-again relationship had long been a fixture in pop culture, punctuated by musical hits like “Work” and “What’s My Name.”

But by 2018, Rihanna told Vogue that the two no longer maintained a friendship, citing the fallout from Drake’s public profession of love at the 2016 MTV VMAs.

Drake, Rihanna

Drake presents Rihanna with the The Video Vanguard Award during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City.

Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

“Waiting through that speech was probably the most uncomfortable part. I don’t like too many compliments; I don’t like to be put on blast,” she said at the time. “We don’t have a friendship now, but we’re not enemies either. It is what it is.”

Now, Rocky and Rihanna are partners and parents to two children, RZA and Riot, with hopes for more in the near future. RiRi is currently pregnant with their third.

Read A$AP Rocky’s ELLE cover story here.

A$AP Rocky and Rihanna

A$AP Rocky and Rihanna at the AWGE fashion show during Paris Fashion Week Menswear Spring/Summer 2025 held at Hôtel de Maisons on June 21, 2024 in Paris, France.

Swan Gallet/WWD via Getty Images

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail