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A judge dismissed rap star Drake’s lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) on Thursday (October 10). But the Grammy-winner is not going to take his L in silence.
Drake Set to Appeal UMG Lawsuit Verdict
After the Judge dismissed Drizzy’s lawsuit against the famed record label, a spokesperson for the rap star spoke out. In a statement following the verdict, the spokesperson notes that Drake and his legal team intend to appeal the decision.
“We intend to appeal today’s ruling, and we look forward to the Court of Appeals reviewing it,” the statement reads.
A spokesperson for Drake issued the following statement in response to today’s dismissal of his defamation lawsuit against UMG:
— Kurrco (@Kurrco) October 9, 2025
"We intend to appeal today’s ruling, and we look forward to the Court of Appeals reviewing it.” https://t.co/oFJOng7Qqe pic.twitter.com/QLyeIEhNEl
In light of this new development, fans on social media went scorched earth.
“Basically, he’s dropping the heart part 6. Doing it just to save face, but he knows he has already been defeated,” one fan wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“N**a down 50 points in the 4th quarter talking about “we need a few a re plays to get back in the game,” looking ahh,” another person added.
“Lawyer sees them OVO checks and like ‘Drake, I swear we can nab ’em!” Let’s pursue it for another year, lmao,” a third person added.
Judge Reveals Reason For Dismissal
Drake pursued the lawsuit against UMG over their distribution of Kendrick Lamar’s 2024 hit record, Not Like Us. Drake claimed that the label was guilty of defamation. Specifically mentioning the lyric in which K. Dot refers to him as a “certified pedo****e.”
However, the presiding judge ruled that, given the fact that “offensive accusations” were used by both Kendrick and Drake, no “reasonable listener” would believe the information in the song to be factual.
“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. “The accusation that plaintiff is a pedophile is certainly a serious one. But 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.”
