Kendrick is really what the culture feels: Drake lost the rap battle AND the legal battle
What do you mean you can’t stop him, officer!?
Over the past year, Aubrey “Drake” Graham has been dunk more than anyone unlucky enough to play against Dwight Howard. His musical feud with Kendrick Lamar started to get rough once the Compton rapper dropped “Euphoria”, a prophetic ode to a spiraling artist accused of grooming behaviors who was also executive director of a show called Euphoria which Turns out there was a lot of racy content with teens. Drake fired back with a song that was supposed to end the feud right then and there, called “Family matters – a song that would be considered good in its own right if Kendrick didn’t intervene when the song was released with another family-themed diss track titled “Meet the Grahams.”
The psychoanalysis session masquerading as a musical track should This was the case when Drake threw in the towel, but he didn’t have much time given that “Not Like Us” dropped within 24 hours. This victory lap quickly turned into a scene where everyone was showing off the corpse of Drake’s career: Kendrick won a Grammy for his diss track to loud applause from a room of celebrities, Conan O’Brien made a joke about Drake at the Oscars, Will Ferrell and Ana Gasteyer performed Not Like Us at SNL’s 50th anniversaryoh, and did I mention THE SUPER BOWL where Drake’s ex, Serena Williams, walked in partying? Just dunk after dunk after dunk!
But as interesting as musical feuds can be, we at Above The Law are a legal website. That said, it didn’t take long for beat drops to be replaced by hammer smashes. The rollout of Not Like Us was so devastating that on May 7, an astute observer wrote a joke article suggesting that Drake’s only chance of salvaging his reputation was to prosecute someone about how hard he lost.
Drake then tried to turn his defeat into a legal battle. This is fitting considering Kendrick accuses him of having gambling problems in Meet the Grahams, but that’s an aside. He sued Universal Music Group, Spotify, at one point he even pointed the finger at YouTube streamers for spreading the song and helping to increase views. But the cream of the crop? After all the failed musical responses, finger pointing and cringe, smoke, bullet riddled hoodie attempts at aura cultivation, the facts remain. He lost a rap battle so hard that a judge had to weigh. And the judge did not decide in his favor. ABC covers:
A New York federal judge has dismissed Drake’s defamation suit against his label Universal Music Group over a rap battle with Kendrick Lamar.
Judge Jeannette Vargas determined that the allegedly defamatory statements at issue in the lawsuit constituted “inadmissible opinions” and dismissed Drake’s lawsuit against UMG.
And while opinions may not be actionable in court, they are subject to plot action before the court of public opinion:
Drake’s response to the firing is as childish as one would expect from a 38-year-old who regularly refers to himself as “The Boy”:
A spokesperson for Drake said in a statement obtained by ABC News that his team intends to appeal the decision.
For the love of God, throw in the towel Jimmy! And it’s not just advice for your bruised ego, it’s also for your pockets. Because I’m going to tell you who is the main party most likely to benefit from your intransigence. Your lawyers:
It’s time to leave the courtroom and return to the studio. Even Kendrick likes Drake with the melodies.
Drake’s defamation case against UMG label dismissed by federal judge (ABC)
Earlier: Drake really has an option against Kendrick if he wants to win
Universal Music Group works to dismiss Drake’s desperate attempt to save face from lyrical beatdown
Drake files RICO suit against his own label after being musically stomped on by the Pulitzer-winning West Coast rapper
Drake Adds Kendrick’s Superbowl Performance to List of Allegedly Defamatory Acts
Chris Williams became Social Media Manager and Associate Editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Before joining the team, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Law School Memes for Edgy T14s Facebook group. He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University Law School in St. Louis. He’s a former boat builder who learns to swim, is interested in critical racing theory, philosophy and humor, and has a love of cycling that sometimes annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at (email protected) and by tweet to @WritesForRent.
