On Thursday, Judge Jeannette A. Vargas dismissed Drake‘s lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) for supporting the release of Kendrick Lamar‘s Grammy-winning smash “Not Like Us.” During the hearing, the judge said that K.Dot’s lyrics are more of an opinion of how he feels about Drake, according to the Associated Press.

Why did a federal judge dismiss Drake’s lawsuit against UMG?

Judge Vargas noted that both rappers said negative things about each other due to the nature of hip-hop. She explained that she doesn’t believe anyone with logical sense would consider what Lamar said about Drake in his Grammy-winning song “Not Like Us” to be fact.

“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.

Additionally, she 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.”

Drake says Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ went too far

As Blavity reported, Drake filed his lawsuit in January 2025, claiming UMG rallied behind “Not Like Us” despite knowing how the hit song would attack his character. “Not Like Us” became one of the biggest singles of 2024, earning Lamar five Grammys earlier this year.

In the complaint, Drake links the song to attempted intrusions at his Toronto mansion and one of his security guards getting shot since the cover art for “Not Like Us” shows an aerial photo of Drake’s property — which Vargas characterized it as “an overlay of more than a dozen sex offender markers.” She added that 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,” the judge said regarding Drake’s concerns.

Drake’s legal counsel said that they would be challenging the judge’s decision: “We intend to appeal today’s ruling, and we look forward to the Court of Appeals reviewing it.”