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Drake is reportedly planning to appeal a judge's decision to dismiss his lawsuit against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us."
According to a report ABC News published on Wednesday, October 29, attorneys for Aubrey Graham submitted paperwork to begin the appeal process several weeks after Judge Jeannette Vargas' ruled to dismiss the case. In her decision, Judge Vargas argued that the degrading lyrics in Kendrick's successful diss track only measured up to "nonactionable opinion" and said the song "would not incline the reasonable listener to believe that 'Not Like Us' imparts verifiable facts about Plaintiff." The lawsuit was dismissed in the Southern District of New York Court.
Drake and Kendrick Lamar's epic rap battle was the hot topic in the music industry for nearly a year. Since it erupted last summer, both rappers went back and forth with a series of diss tracks including Drake's "Push Ups" and Kendrick's "Meet The Grahams." K.Dot dealt the "metaphorical killing blow" (as Judge Vargas put it) when he dropped his Mustard-produced song "Not Like Us." The song topped the charts and inspired a slew of jokes and memes at Drake's expense due to lyrics that labeled him a pedophile, among other things.
"This statement has a readily understandable meaning, and it is capable of being proven true or false," Judge Vargas wrote. "But 'even accusations of criminal behavior are not actionable if, understood in context, they are opinion rather than fact.”
"From the outset, this suit was an affront to all artists and their creative expression and never should have seen the light of day," a rep for UMG said after the case was dropped. "We’re pleased with the court’s dismissal and look forward to continuing our work successfully promoting Drake’s music and investing in his career."
Drake's legal team previously said that they planned to file an appeal. Soon after the decision was made, a spokesperson for Drake also issued a statement. "We intend to appeal today’s ruling, and we look forward to the Court of Appeals reviewing it," they said.