Online Reporter
A federal judge has dismissed the defamation lawsuit Drake brought against his own record label, Universal Music Group (UMG), for publishing and promoting Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us”.
District judge Jeannette Vargas concluded that the Grammy-winning song — where Lamar infamously claimed Drake was a “certified paedophile” — was an expression of pure opinion and not an assertion of facts.
Therefore, Drake, who denied the allegation, could not sue for defamation.
Drake did not sue Lamar, who was not accused of wrongdoing.The ruling means Drake’s case against UMG is now over, though he can appeal the decision.
“We intend to appeal today’s ruling and we look forward to the Court of Appeals reviewing it,” a spokesperson for Drake said last week.
The ruling is a major victory for UMG, which has insisted from the beginning that the case was “frivolous” and “illogical”.
“From the outset, this suit was an affront to all artistes and their creative expression and never should have seen the light of day,” said a UMG spokesperson.
“We are pleased with the court’s dismissal and look forward to continuing our work successfully promoting Drake’s music and investing in his career.”
The judge determined that Lamar’s “offensive” accusations against Drake were a protected expression of opinion. Her 38-page ruling included a line-by-line breakdown of lyrics from the songs Drake and Lamar released last year at the height of their feud, where the two traded increasingly personal and unverified insults in a series of songs.
“The average listener is not under the impression that a diss track is the product of a thoughtful or disinterested investigation, conveying to the public fact-checked verifiable content,” Vargas wrote.
The judge also said “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 Drake.
Drake filed the lawsuit in January and the case was in the evidence-gathering stage known as discovery before the judge threw out the lawsuit on Thursday.
“Not Like Us” went on to win multiple Grammys earlier this year and was also featured as part of Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show performance in February. — Wires
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Kanye West’s ‘betrayal list’ sparks hilarious internet spin-offs
Another day, another trend.
Kanye West — sorry, Ye (still getting used to it) — recently decided to stir things up again by posting what he called a “Betrayal List” on social media.
The man loves theatrics.
It is art to him, so this move was not exactly shocking.
Before deleting the post, Ye declared he was in “pain that no one person can fix”, then shared a list titled “The Betrayal”.
The now-viral post included everyone from his ex-wife Kim Kardashian (obviously) to Diddy, Pusha T, Kid Cudi and Ty Dolla $ign.
He even threw in NBA star LeBron James, United States President Donald Trump and fictional characters like Curious George and Patrick Star.
But the real fun began when the internet started making their own betrayal lists — and they are pure gold. — Wires
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Cardi B hit with copyright lawsuit
Hip-hop superstar Cardi B is once again preparing for a legal fight, this time over a seemingly innocuous 2021 social media post.
The rapper is facing a copyright infringement lawsuit in a federal court for posting a photo of herself that a Florida-based photographer claims he owns.
The filing, submitted on October 1 by photographer Jawad Elatab, alleges the artiste unlawfully used a photo he took of her in 2019.
Elatab claims he holds the registered copyright to the image and that the “Bodak Yellow” star’s post on Twitter (now X) constitutes wilful infringement.
According to a report, Elatab’s complaint states he issued at least two separate legal notices to Cardi B regarding the photo in 2023 and 2024, which were allegedly ignored.
The photographer maintains the unauthorised use of the image, which was posted to the rapper’s high-traffic social media account, generated increased profits and traffic for her.
The suit seeks substantial financial remedies, including actual damages, disgorgement of profits, statutory damages, attorney’s fees and an injunction to permanently prevent the further use of the picture.
The photographer also points to the rapper’s alleged failure to have proper policies in place before sharing the copyrighted material.
This new legal challenge comes shortly after Cardi B successfully navigated another high-profile lawsuit.
Following an explosive assault suit filed by former security guard Emani Ellis — who had sought US$24 million and accused the rapper of spitting on her, scratching her and verbal assault — Cardi B issued a stern public warning.
The star vowed to “countersue” the next person who brought a “frivolous lawsuit” against her, stating she would “make you pay”.
The outcome of the copyright case hinges on whether the photographer can prove his ownership and show that the rapper’s use of the image — even a photo of herself — was a deliberate violation of his rights. — Wires
