Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s bitter rap feud is heading back into a courtroom, with oral arguments in Drake’s appeal against UMG Recordings scheduled for 4 December 2026, according to The Drake Docket on X.
The two stars went from collaborators to sworn musical rivals before Lamar’s explosive “Not Like Us” transformed their battle into a legal war. Drake strongly denies the song’s allegations and is now fighting to revive his dismissed lawsuit against the record company that distributed and promoted it.
The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit will hear arguments from Drake’s legal team, while UMG is asking the court to uphold the original ruling. Lamar is not named as a defendant in the case.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s friendship unravelled
Drake and Lamar were once collaborators. Lamar appeared on “Buried Alive Interlude” from Drake’s 2011 album Take Care and later supported him on tour.
Drake subsequently featured on “Poetic Justice”, a song from Lamar’s acclaimed 2012 album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City.
The first major sign of tension emerged in 2013 when Lamar named Drake among several leading rappers he intended to outperform during his guest verse on Big Sean’s “Control”. What initially appeared to be competitive sparring developed into years of perceived lyrical jabs.
Their rivalry erupted openly following the October 2023 release of “First Person Shooter” by Drake and J. Cole. On the song, Cole described himself, Drake and Lamar as rap’s “big three”.
Lamar rejected that grouping during his appearance on Future and Metro Boomin’s March 2024 single “Like That”, declaring that there was only “big me” while directly challenging Drake and Cole.
Cole responded with “7 Minute Drill” but later apologised and removed the song from streaming platforms. Drake stayed in the fight, releasing “Push Ups” and “Taylor Made Freestyle”.
The latter used artificial intelligence to imitate the voices of Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg. Drake removed the track after Tupac’s estate threatened legal action.
Feud descends into explosive allegations
Lamar hit back with “Euphoria” and “6:16 in LA” before the contest became intensely personal.
Drake’s “Family Matters” made allegations about Lamar’s relationship and family. Lamar responded less than an hour later with “Meet the Grahams”, which levelled serious accusations against Drake.
Both performers made damaging claims about each other that were denied, disputed or remained unverified.
Lamar then released “Not Like Us”, accusing Drake of sexual misconduct and describing him as a “certified paedophile”. Drake strongly rejected the allegations in “The Heart Part 6” and claimed that Lamar’s camp had been deliberately given false information.
“Not Like Us” became a major commercial and cultural success despite the controversy. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and won five Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
Lamar later performed the song during the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show, although the word “paedophile” was omitted from the performance.
Drake takes the battle from the studio to court
Drake filed his federal lawsuit against UMG in January 2025, accusing the company of promoting a song that falsely portrayed him as a paedophile and damaged his reputation.
He also alleged that the company’s actions affected him during potential contract negotiations. Drake presented the case as a wider challenge to the power of major record labels rather than an attempt to settle his feud with Lamar through litigation.
UMG rejected Drake’s claims and defended the song as creative expression arising from a rap battle.
US District Judge Jeannette Vargas dismissed the lawsuit on 9 October 2025, ruling that the challenged lyrics amounted to “nonactionable opinion” when considered within the context of the highly charged musical feud.
The judge found that a reasonable listener would not understand the disputed lyrics as verified statements of fact.
Drake appealed the ruling later that month and is now asking the Second Circuit to reinstate his lawsuit. UMG wants the appeals court to affirm the dismissal, which could effectively bring the case to an end.
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