Drake’s case against that song is dismissed—but it’s not over yet

In the latest chapter of the rap beef that keeps on cooking, a judge has dismissed Drake’s case against UMG Universal. The lawsuit, which Drake launched last February, centres on Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us.” You know, the one in which he calls Drake a “certified pedophile” who “like ‘em young.”

Per Drake’s claim, Universal Music Group, the label that reps both rappers, is guilty of defamation based on the publication and promotion of a track that spread a “false and malicious narrative.” The lawsuit did not name Lamar.

Related: Everything to know about Drake’s “Not Like Us” lawsuit

The key thrust is that UMG did Drizzy dirty when it promoted a song that it knew, or should have known, was a threat to his safety and economic security. Drake claims reputational harm and links specific incidents—including the shooting that took place at his Bridle Path mansion and his decision to take his son out of school for security reasons—to threats caused by “Not Like Us.” (The track’s cover art shows an aerial view of Drake’s mansion covered with neighbourhood watch–style red dots.)

There is a whole other thread to the suit, wherein Drake alleges that UMG was intentionally attacking his brand in advance of upcoming contract negotiations, but whatever his claims, they didn’t pass muster.

Related: Drake is making a new Degrassi series and we’re here for it

In a ruling released yesterday, Judge Jeannette Vargas issued her legal opinion, which was basically, All’s fair in love and diss tracks: “Although the accusation that plaintiff is a pedophile is certainly a serious one, 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.”

She further noted that it was Drake who first introduced the idea of pedophilia to the battle, essentially daring Lamar to make those accusations in his own track “Taylor Made Freestyle.” Drake raps: “Talk about him likin’ young girls, that’s a gift from me.” (This line was delivered in the AI-generated voice of Tupac Shakur, but that’s a whole other controversy.) Given this sequence of events, Vargas says Lamar’s line is a clear callback and not an actual accusation.

And maybe you’re thinking, Well, duh—Do we really need a certified justice of the court to explain the ground rules of rap beefs? But, given that Drake plans to appeal the decision, he certainly seems to.