Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s legal battle has taken a new turn.

According to PEOPLE, the 39-year-old Canadian rapper has filed an appeal after his lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) over alleged defamation tied to the 38-year-old American rapper’s song Not Like Us was dismissed by a federal judge last year.

In court documents filed on Wednesday, January 21, Drake’s attorneys argued that the judge’s dismissal was “dangerous” and set a precedent suggesting that rap lyrics cannot be defamatory.

The case was dismissed in October 2025, when a federal judge ruled that the lyrics in Lamar’s diss track were part of a "heated rap battle" and were not defamatory.

Not Like Us was released in May 2024 at the height of the artists’ public feud.

The track includes lyrics in which Lamar refers to Drake as a “certified pedophile” and says he should be “placed on neighborhood watch,” language the God's Plan musician insists caused real harm to his public image.

In the appeal, Drake’s lawyers say that many listeners interpreted the lyrics as factual claims and argue that the ruling wrongly implies rap lyrics are immune from defamation, regardless of how damaging the statements may be.

The judge had previously rejected that argument, noting that both artists exchanged harsh insults and pointing to Drake’s own diss track targeting Lamar.

UMG, which released and distributed Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us, has until March 27, 2026, to respond to Drake’s appeal.