Law in Popular Culture
Judge tosses Drake’s suit over Kendrick Lamar’s rap song calling him ‘certified pedophile’
Rapper and singer Drake, left, attends an NBA basketball game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Houston Rockets on March 16, 2024, in Houston. (Photo by David J. Phillip/The Associated Press)
A reasonable listener would conclude that rapper Kendrick Lamar was “rapping hyperbolic vituperations” when he called rapper and singer Drake a “certified pedophile” in his 2024 song “Not Like Us,” a federal judge said last week in an order tossing Drake’s defamation lawsuit over the statement.
In an Oct. 9 order, U.S. District Judge Jeannette A. Vargas of the Southern District of New York called Lamar’s lyrics “nonactionable opinion,” written amid “a heated rap battle, with incendiary language and offensive accusations hurled by both participants.”
Law360 and Reuters have coverage, while the Volokh Conspiracy published opinion highlights.
Drake had sued the Universal Music Group for an alleged “defamation-for-profit strategy” that included promoting “Not Like Us” and arranging for Lamar to perform it at the 2025 Super Bowl. The Universal Music Group has a division that also represents Drake.
Vargas granted the Universal Music Group’s motion to dismiss the entire suit, which included claims for defamation, harassment and deceptive acts.
Drake plans to appeal, a spokesperson told Law360 and Reuters.
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