Drake's Legal Battle Against His Record Label Ends After Almost 10 Months

Drake loses this round against Universal Music Group (UMG)!

The prolific rapper and his record label can now close the curtain on the court case between them after the court tossed his defamation lawsuit.

Drake has been stuck in a nasty court battle with the record label for nearly 10 months after the rapper claimed the label knowingly contributed to the false narratives about him by releasing and promoting Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us."

The federal defamation lawsuit filed by Drake in January 2025 met its demise after the presiding judge dismissed the case, ruling that no defamatory statements had been made.

Contrary to Drake's claims, the legal documents from the case explained that the Grammy-winning rapper has no right to sue over the song lyrics. The judge emphasized that even accusations of criminal behavior are not actionable if, understood in context, they are merely an opinion rather than a fact.

This means that since the allegations Drake identified were part of a diss track, the average listener may not get to interpret them as facts, thus no damage was truly done.

As noted by TMZ, Lamar's alleged pedophile lyric towards Drake was also tagged as a direct response to allegations first made by Drake in his "Taylor Made Freestyle" diss track.

The record label had been on a campaign to get the lawsuit dismissed since March, as The Blast reported at the time, stating that the company described Drake's decision to sue as a means for him to save face.

The record label, in its response to Drake's lawsuit, claimed he suddenly found it hard to deal with the consequences of a rap battle that he started. 

UMG added that Drake was also being hypocritical with the filing, as he had earlier signed a petition against the use of rap lyrics as an element in legal proceedings, whether as evidence or anything in between.

The company did not mince words, tagging Drake's legal move as one that lacked merit and was merely a superficial attempt to protect his bruised ego.

The entrepreneur's legal team did not hesitate to straighten UMG's narrative about Drake pursuing a lawsuit for petty reasons. Instead, Michael J. Gottlieb, representing Drake, described their legal move as more than just a court exchange.

Gottlieb pointed fingers at UMG for attempting to downplay the gravity of the lawsuit and reduce it to a rap battle, in an effort to shield its shareholders, artists, and the public from the truth about UMG's greed.

The attorney stressed that the time of reckoning had come for the company to face the consequences of "profiting from dangerous misinformation that has already resulted in multiple acts of violence."

Gottlieb spotlighted UMG's history of exploiting artists and promised that the lawsuit would expose layers of corruption being concealed in the music industry.

The legal practitioner declared that the time for UMG to avoid accountability, while "endangering, abusing and taking advantage of its artists," was up.

The influencer cannot seem to catch a break with the losses, as his streetwear outlet in New York suffered an attack two months ago. The Blast reported that the New York Police Department stated it received a call concerning reports of criminal mischief around 4 pm on that day.

Upon their arrival, the agents confirmed that the attack was intentionally carried out with a hammer and left behind damages totaling $23,400. The attacker was spotted in clips from the incident holding a large pink bag inside the boutique.

Soon, she began pulling clothes from the rack with great force and launched a hammer from her purse, shattering the store's windows. She even attempted to set the shop on fire with a lighter and an aerosol container.

The culprit was later identified as a 31-year-old woman named Shauna Stoner of Queens and subsequently taken into custody.

The rapper has never been discreet about his love for gambling, which has also seen him lose millions of dollars and win some. In June, he uploaded a super relatable post on his Instagram story, revealing that he recorded an $8.2 million loss from playing with over $125 million.

He also lost $5 million from placing a $50 million bet in another instance. The rapper did not stop there; he also shared another image of himself losing $5 million from a $75 million bet.

“Losses are so fried right now, I hope I can post a big win for you all soon, cause I’m the only one that has never seen a max these guys max once a week,” the rapper shared alongside his post.

Of course, Drake’s decision to share the less glamorous side of gambling attracted multiple opinions, including fans tagging him wasteful.

Where does this current loss leave Drake and UMG?