Drake’s “Don’t Like Us” libel case against Kendrick Lamar is back in court as the tag attempts to dismiss the lawsuit.
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Drake’s defamation lawsuit against Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Don’t Like Us” (UMG) returned to court on Monday (June 30) for a hearing on the record company’s motion to dismiss.
NBC News reported that the focus of the federal hearing in New York was whether Lamar’s “Certified Pedophilia” series crossed the legal line.
Drake’s legal team believes UMG has expanded the song’s influence by damaging his reputation by promoting defamatory content to a large audience.
UMG pushes back, insisting that Diss Track falls into a long-standing tradition of over-the-top lyrical stunning.
“The sound you hear in these rap wars is in extreme trash talks, not, and should not be considered a statement of fact,” UMG’s lawyer told the court.
Judge Jeannette Vargas did not issue a ruling, but imposed a force on the way the average listener interpreted the lyrics.
“Who is the average listener? Is it someone who wants to catch all these references?” she asked. “There are so many professional and nuances in these lyrics.”
Neither Kendrick Lamar nor Drake appeared in court.
Drake’s lawsuit claims that UMG’s promotion of “not like us” caused reputational harm, and UMG countered Drake’s willingness to participate in lyrical disputes.
Additionally, the tag claims that Drake uses similar aggressive language in his own music.
The case also turned to the dark world of digital streams.
Drake’s lawyer believes that umg artificially enhances the flow process
Attorney Moe Gangat, known for his Instagram account @lawyerforworkers, attended the hearing and said Drake’s legal team accused UMG of using robots and other artificial methods to exaggerate streaming numbers.
According to Gangat, Drake’s lawyers believe that the manipulation reduces every payment for the artist because the algorithm detects fake traffic.
Judge Vargas asked if this question would affect all artists who signed the tag using such strategies. Drake’s team agreed.
Gangat suggests this could lose artificial flow inflation for more artists to challenge the industry’s revenue.
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The judge has not yet ruled whether a typical listener can regard the lyrics as slander.
Meanwhile, the discovery phase continues, granting Drake’s legal team access to UMG’s internal records, including Kendrick Lamar’s contract.
