Drake isn’t backing down from his authorized combat over Kendrick Lamar’s explosive diss monitor “Not Like Us.” The Toronto rapper has formally filed a discover of enchantment difficult a federal choose’s choice to throw out his defamation lawsuit in opposition to Universal music Group (UMG).

The lawsuit stemmed from Lamar’s viral hit “Not Like Us,” which took purpose at Drake throughout their heated feud earlier this yr. In the track, Lamar accuses the “God’s Plan” rapper of great misconduct, together with inappropriate relationships with minors—claims Drake insists are fully false and damaging to his popularity.

Drake’s authorized crew argued that UMG, which distributed Lamar’s music, deliberately promoted the diss monitor regardless of understanding it contained “false and defamatory” statements. The grievance additionally accused the label of misleading enterprise practices, together with using bots and payola to inflate the track’s streaming numbers.

On October 9, 2025, U.S. District Judge Jeannette A. Vargas dismissed Drake’s swimsuit, ruling that the lyrics had been protected inventive expression fairly than factual statements. In her written choice, Vargas acknowledged {that a} “reasonable listener” wouldn’t interpret a rap diss monitor as conveying literal reality.

“The broader context of a heated rap battle would not incline the reasonable listener to believe that ‘Not Like Us’ imparts verifiable facts about the plaintiff,” the choose wrote.
She added that the track’s huge reputation or the label’s promotional efforts didn’t alter its inventive, opinion-based nature.

Drake has now appealed the ruling to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. His attorneys keep that UMG’s involvement went past normal promotion and that the label’s amplification of the monitor amounted to company defamation.

By interesting, Drake hopes to revive his claims and transfer the case ahead into discovery and trial phases.

The case has sparked widespread debate over the place the road lies between inventive expression and defamation within the music trade. Legal specialists notice that the end result might set an necessary precedent for the way courts deal with defamation claims tied to inventive works, particularly in genres identified for exaggerated, combative lyrics like hip-hop.

For now, the enchantment course of is anticipated to unfold over the approaching months, whereas the feud between Drake and Lamar continues to dominate cultural and trade dialog.