Entertainment

Here’s Why Drake Lost His Lawsuit Over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us”

Published

8 months ago

October 12, 2025

Vicky

Why did a judge dismiss Drake’s defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us”? Because, legal experts say, it never made much sense.

Drake’s case claimed he was defamed by the diss track, arguing that millions of people believed Kendrick when the Compton MC called his rival a “certified pedophile.” But in the wake of a judge’s ruling dismissing the case at the earliest stage, legal experts tell Billboard that Drake’s case was doomed from the start.

“Holding a rapper or their producer liable for lyrics in a diss track seemed contrary to basic defamation law from the beginning,” says Roy Gutterman, the director of the Newhouse School’s Tully Center for Free Speech at Syracuse University.

When Drake first filed his case, it prompted ridicule in world of hip-hop. The idea of hiring lawyers and going to court over a diss track felt antithetical to rap music, a genre rooted so heavily in authenticity, credibility and, at times, heated rivalries: “What part of the game is that?” asked A$AP Rocky in an interview last month. “What type of shit is that?”

But more quietly, legal experts had long been arguing that such a lawsuit was also antithetical to the world of defamation law and constitutionally-protected free speech — where courts are willing to restrict outright lies, but give wide leeway to opinions and artistic expression.

Way back in May 2024, as Kendrick and Drake exchanged ugly accusations in a series of scathing songs, legal commentators began to wonder if either rapper might have the audacity to take the fight to court: “Has anyone ever filed a defamation lawsuit over a diss track before?” joked Matt Ford, a legal reporter at the New Republic.

Months before such a case was actually filed, it felt downright unthinkable. No rapper would ever risk their reputation to file a libel case over an insulting lyric, right? But Billboard decided to poll the experts anyway, asking how such a hypothetical case a might go. The answer was pretty clear-cut: It would be very hard to win a defamation case over a rap battle.

“The public … has to believe that the speaker is being serious, and not just hurling insults in a diss fight,” Dori Hanswirth, a veteran media law litigator at the firm Arnold & Porter, told Billboard at the time. “The context of this song-by-song grudge match tends to support the idea that this is rhetorical, and a creative way to beef with a rival.”

That legal landscape didn’t scare off Drake’s attorneys, who went ahead and filed such a case in January, accusing UMG (but not Kendrick himself) of defamation over “Not Like Us.” In later filings, they said many fans had, on the contrary, taken Lamar’s lyric quite literally: “Millions of people, all over the world, did understand the [song] as a factual assertion that plaintiff is a pedophile.”

As Drake battled in court, more lawyers voiced skepticism. In a brief filed May, a group of legal scholars said the case was legally “faulty” and urged the judge to “consider rap music’s history and artistic conventions.” Diss tracks are not seen as “a series of news reports,” they said, but as “hyperbole, bluster, and demonstrations of disrespect” that are “designed to entertain and impress their audience.”

When Judge Jeannette Vargas finally ruled on the case on Thursday (Oct. 9), she followed precisely that line of logic that experts had been arguing from the start. The judge said that context was crucial — and that diss tracks were an artistic medium in which fans would expect “hyperbolic vituperations” rather than “sober facts.”

“The recording was published as part of a heated public feud, in which both participants exchanged progressively caustic, inflammatory insults and accusations,” Judge Vargas wrote. “This is precisely the type of context in which an audience may anticipate the use of epithets, fiery rhetoric or hyperbole rather than factual assertions.”

In reaching that conclusion, the judge was hardly breaking new legal ground. Instead, she was just sticking to the legal consensus — one that the experts say they were predicting from the start.

“The court recognized the nature of the artistic expression and the rap genre itself,” Gutterman, the Syracuse professor, tells Billboard. “The First Amendment provides lots of protection for statements of opinion as well as artistic expression. This decision reflects that.”

For the history of Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s feud, read through Billboard’s timeline below.

Kendrick Lamar and Drake

Taylor Hill/WireImage; Prince Williams/Wireimage

Entertainment

Which New Music Release Is Your Favorite This Week? Vote!

Published

1 month ago

April 25, 2026

Vicky

It’s the final new music Friday (April 24) of the month, and everyone from Noah Kahan to Kehlani and Suki Waterhouse have put forth some of their best work as May waits just around the corner.

This week, Vermont’s favorite folk-rock singer-songwriter finally returned with a new album after four years of Stick Season, his breakout album that reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200. The Great Divide is 17 tracks of Kahan reexamining his worldview after struggling with his mental health in the years since he found fame.

And, as if taking cues from the success of first-ever Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit “Folded” (which reached No. 6 on the chart in January), Kehlani leans fully into classic R&B flavors in an intentional push to recenter the genre’s traditions. “All the R&B artists, we want R&B to be back,” the artist told Billboard ahead of being named Billboard Women in Music’s Impact honoree. “We want good, long songs. We want three verses and bridges and modulations and all the things – we want that too. We just didn’t think anybody else wanted it. I have an allegiance to the genre, and I’ll keep it there.”

On top of the bounty of new albums, several artists have released fresh singles — including Suki Waterhouse, who returns with “Tiny Raisin” shortly after announcing her next album, Loveland, as well as Hayley Kiyoko and Gigi Perez, who teamed up for heartfelt duet “Collide.” Plus, Dylan Gossett adds “My Boy” to the mix, written as a letter to his son.

But which release is your favorite this week? Let Billboard know by voting in the poll below.

Entertainment

Celeb-Loved Juicy Couture T-Shirts Are On Sale for $8 Right Now (If You Hurry)

Published

1 month ago

April 25, 2026

Vicky

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

It’s been almost three decades since the LA-based casual wear brand Juicy Couture first hit store shelves, and the Hollywood-loved label has made its way back into the spotlight in recent years thanks to the Y2K trend resurgence and newfound love from influencers online.

Best known for its T-shirts, handbags and yes, those velour tracksuits (reportedly designed exclusively for Madonna at first), Juicy Couture pieces were seen on practically every major celebrity in the 2000s, from Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, to Jennifer Lopez and Kim Kardashian. Musicians like Miley Cyrus, Nicole Scherzinger and even Beyoncé have also been spotted wearing Juicy Couture, and now, a new Amazon deal makes it easy for you to get into some JC as well.

LIMITED TIME DEAL

Table of Contents

Juicy Couture Cap Sleeve T-Shirt (Five-Pack)

$38.24 $44.99 15% off

Buy Now On Amazon

Amazon is selling a five-pack of Juicy Couture T-shirts right now for just $39. Part of the “Juicy Sport” line, the cropped T-shirts are made from a super soft and breathable “performance” fabric that features a touch of spandex for easy movement and stretch.

That makes the T-shirts as ideal for a workout or yoga session as they are for pairing with your everyday ‘fits. The crop top look leans into the Y2K aesthetic and Amazon’s website shows the shirts styled with shorts, leggings and mini skirts alike.

This Amazon deal gets you five Juicy Couture T-shirts for under $40. That brings the price of each tee down to less than $8 — a virtually unheard of deal for generic T-shirts, let alone a brand name pick.

We like the five-pack above, which gets you a T-shirt in two shades of pink (including a light pink with the signature Juicy Couture cherries), plus navy blue, gray and black. You can choose from other color combinations online. The tees are available in sizes small to XXL.

ALSO AVAILABLE

Juicy Couture T-Shirts (Three-Pack)

$29.74

Buy Now On Amazon

Don’t need five T-shirts? Amazon also sells a three-pack of Juicy Couture tees for just $30, bringing the price of each individual shirt to under $10.

ALSO CONSIDER

Juicy Couture Queen of Everything Mini Duffle Bag

$45.09 $79.00 43% off

Buy Now On Amazon

And if you need a bag to take to the gym (or for an overnight stay), we like this mini barrel-style duffle bag, on sale for 43% off. The two-tone bag measures approximate 8.2 x 4.9 inches in size, which is enough room for your wallet, keys, change of clothes and toiletries. Choose to carry the bag via the top handle or with the detachable shoulder straps.

All of the above picks are officially-licensed products sold through Amazon’s Juicy Couture storefront. As with all Amazon deals, the sale prices could end at anytime, so we recommend adding the deals to cart while they are still live.

Entertainment

Head Back to Hawkins With New ‘Stranger Things: Tales From ’85’ Soundtrack

Published

1 month ago

April 25, 2026

Vicky

Netflix is bringing us back to the ’80s, and it’s making sure we have the right music for the occasion.

On Wednesday (April 22), Billboard can exclusively reveal that an original soundtrack is coming this week for the brand-new animated spin-off series Stranger Things: Tales From ’85. The score album, composed by Brad Breeck (Gravity Falls, We Bare Bears), will be released globally Thursday (April 23) at midnight ET.

Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 also arrives Thursday on Netflix, bringing viewers back to the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, in the ’80s and reuniting us with some of the original show’s main characters. And much like Stranger Things, music plays a large role in the new show.

“This collection bridges the gap between the eerie depths of the Upside Down and the vibrant, neon energy of the mid-’80s,” Netflix said in a statement.

Tales From ’85 will feature not only a brand-new version of the original Stranger Things theme song, but the first episodes also include a selection of ’80s hits from artists like Black Sabbath, Billy Idol, Cyndi Lauper and more. Needle drops throughout the series include “We Got the Beat” by The Go-Go’s, “A Forest” by The Cure and “We’ll Meet Again” by Vera Lynn, “Rebel Yell” by Idol, and Lauper’s Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “Time After Time.”

If it’s anything like the original show, artists with songs played in the new series could see a bump in streams and chart placements in the aftermath of the show’s premiere. After featuring the songs in pivotal moments, Stranger Things brought Kate Bush‘s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” to a new peak of No. 3 on the Hot 100 in 2022, 37 years after its initial release, while Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” made its debut on the chart the same year, 36 years after it came out.

Fans can pre-save Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 (Soundtrack from the Netflix Series) by Brad Breeck here, and find the full score track list below.

Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 (Soundtrack from the Netflix Series) by Brad Breeck track list

Flamethrower (artists: Brad Breeck feat. Brian Parkhurst)
Kids Riding Bikes
Big Snowstorm Coming
Someone In There
HIC Theme
I Just Saved Your Life
Strange Stones
Gotta Go Dark
How Long Is Detention
Sewer Chase (artists: Brad Breeck feat. Brian Parkhurst)
Towns
Clean Up
Investigating Pumpkins
Heaven Eleven
Nice Time Tonight
Storm the Gates
What Were These Things
Ground Rules
seluR dnuorG
Her Royal Nastiness
We Have To Try
Tales from ’85 End Titles (artists: Brad Breeck feat. Cooper Babbes)