Judge Tosses Out Drake’s Lawsuit Over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” — and the Internet Has Thoughts

Well, this rap beef just got another chapter — and this time, the courtroom said, “Nah, we’re not getting involved.”

A U.S. federal judge has officially thrown out Drake’s defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar’s mega-hit “Not Like Us.”

The ruling? The lyrics — even the ones that accuse Drake of some pretty dark stuff — count as opinion, not fact.

In other words, the judge basically said, “It’s hip-hop, not a deposition.”

From Diss Track to District Court

RELATED: Kendrick Lamar Just Used His Super Bowl Halftime Show to Flex on Drake (Again)

Drake’s lawsuit, filed back in January, accused UMG of promoting Lamar’s Grammy-winning track despite “false and defamatory” lyrics that painted the rapper as a pedophile and even encouraged “vigilante justice.”
He claimed the song tarnished his reputation, lowered his brand value, and may have even inspired attempted break-ins and a shooting at his Toronto mansion — which, by the way, was featured on the song’s cover art.

So yeah… it wasn’t exactly friendly fire.

The Judge Wasn’t Buying It

The court ruled that no reasonable listener would believe “Not Like Us” was stating facts about Drake — because, let’s be honest, diss tracks aren’t exactly sworn testimony.

The judge also noted that both Drake and Kendrick are signed under Universal Music Group, meaning the record label was basically being sued for promoting one of its own chart-topping hits.

Meanwhile, Kendrick Lamar wasn’t named directly in the lawsuit — and is probably somewhere polishing his Grammys for Record and Song of the Year, sipping tea from his “Victory” mug.

The Beef That Broke the Internet

This feud started in 2024 and will likely go down as one of the biggest rap battles in history. “Not Like Us” dominated Apple Music streams, fuelled endless TikTok debates, and made Kendrick’s Super Bowl halftime show the most-watched ever.

Drake might’ve lost this round, but the internet’s keeping score — and the memes are undefeated.