Drake Is Getting COOKED By Legal Scholars In UMG Appeal

Hey, yeah, what's poppin gang? My crew. Oh, man, two years. It's been two years. We're still here. Like, I feel like I remember getting different updates on this case, then it being dismissed, then it being appealed. And it just seems like we've been here for so long. And I think this was the goal. I think this is Drake's goal, right? I think it's his goal to keep this tied up, keep pressing it, keep pushing it. Now, some people are even saying that they don't think he's intending to drop Iceman until this is sorted out, until this is settled, either through a win or through a loss. He's trying to get out of his deal or his contract so he can drop Iceman. I don't know how true that is. But it seems to be that is kind of an ongoing thing, or at least a trend where it's like, we're not getting this music. This case is still going on. And to me, I really think that he thought that he would win. I believe that he actually thought that he would win and he thought that he could drop this Iceman record and then that would be, you know, he'd walk off as a winner still. But that's not happening. Okay, so today is April 6th. I believe this appeal came out a couple of days ago. No, not the appeal. I think that came out before that, but it looks like there's some experts. Okay, it looks like that before we get into this, make sure you guys hit the like button for me. It really helps out a lot. We're going to go through not the entire legal document. I think this document is like a hundred pages long, 83 pages long. So there's a couple of pages here that we're going to get into. But before we get into some of this stuff, please make sure you guys hit the like button for me. Subscribe to the channel if you guys are new. I appreciate it. We on the way to 60,000 subscribers, man. I can't get there without your help. So I really appreciate that. But it looks like the experts have stepped in and this is my understanding. Please correct me in the comments if I'm wrong. Like we're not lawyers here, but this is just basically what I'm what I'm thinking. The experts are stepping in basically to say this case is this case isn't this case shouldn't win. And here's why and I believe their goal is to go in and just kind of look at things from perspective and give some insight as to why this ---- is stupid and needs to be thrown away. Right real layman understanding, but that's kind of that's why I'm at with it. So and I saw this. I saw this perspective to before we get into it kind of want to see what you guys think about it, right? So the first amicus brief filed by Yale Law School, which is crazy. So the scholars have stepped in right and professor Larissa Litsky. Hopefully I'm saying it right in the Drake versus UMG appeal. So I believe this is an example that that is being given. I'm not sure if that is actually within the legal filing itself or the legal document itself, but this is an example being given. Suppose a self-assured boxer challenges the world champion to a prize fight is knocked out on live television and with bruised ego and body file a lawsuit for battery that lawsuit would fail at the outset for this for the simple but important reason the challenger consented to the fight a consent and consent is a classic defense to an intentional tort. So I've seen people say that there's there's two different things being argued here, right? I think one side is arguing arguing. This is what happens in rap. You can't change what rap has been and and also you have been a participant in this. You're you're a willing participant. The other side is arguing that there was malicious intent on UMG side or that there was some sort of rigging or something like that. So it seems like and you and if you get behind either argument, right? I think you could get behind our either argument, but there's no proof that there's any sort of rigging or any sort of ill intent on UMG side. There were you guys are both artists, you know, I'm saying that we have stake in I don't understand why we would choose one side or the other but that's not for me to decide right? So let's go ahead and get into some of the things that have been said throughout this this new legal document here. There's no legal filing here. So let's go ahead and get into it. So Drake versus UMG lawsuit appeal update amicus brief of social scientists and legal scholars in support of UMG. So as experts on rap and its use in judicial proceedings, hopefully I'm saying this right Amici or amici seek to provide this court with the contextual framework necessary to examine rap lyrics. So they're going to provide context. Okay, so seek to provide this court with the contextual framework necessary to examine rap lyrics one that accounts for raps history and artistic expression is genre specific practices and and in particular the unique role and normative conventions of battle raps rap feuds and dish tracks a thorough understanding of this context is necessary. Not only to assess the defamation claim at issue in this case, but to prevent the harms that arise when courts treat rap lyrics as confessions or factual representations that goes even beyond this case, right? Because there's there's rappers out there to rap. Like they are Tony Tony Montana, you know what I'm saying? They Pablo Escobar knowing that that's not necessarily true and it's crazy how that even ties into some of the whole J Cole stuff. We talk about wearing a cape and the bravado wraps and stuff like that. So that that would even lend to that when you're trying to use those types of things in court. So the summary of the argument Drake's defamation claim Drake's defamation claim rests on the assumption that every word of not like us should be taken literally as a factual representation. This assumption is not just faulty. It is dangerous when rap lyrics are admitted. It is because they are treated as literal this in turn opens the door to racial bias and stereotypes in the courtroom as empirical studies demonstrate. Wow treating rap lyrics as literal also threatens the First Amendment speech protect protections and the practice and the practice already has created a demonstrable chilling effect across the industry the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York appropriately dismissed Drake's defamation claim and correctly held that in a context a reasonable listener would not have interpreted not like us as a series of factual statements. So basically they're saying listen, I don't even know if they're saying I don't even know if they're saying that completely but I feel like there's a mixture of truth and embellishment in a sense where there might be parts of it that are true, but some of the facts are just embellished a bit like it comes from somewhere. It's almost like comedy like that the comedy, you know, I think that's that's another leg of this entertainment thing where comedians aren't able to be comedians and say things because you know, they could be basically slapped on the hand for saying that thing later. If you know I'm saying like there has to be some room for people to understand that all of this is not necessarily 100% factually true, right? So moving on to the next page that we're looking at here argument rap is an established musical genre with distinct artistic conventions that courts must consider before treating lyrics as factual representation. And I just I just think of some of the lyrics that we that we listen to or that we've heard and you can give me some examples of outlandish lyrics in the comments. I want to see those and also let me know where you're watching from but outlandish lyrics in the comments on a day I was born the rain was pouring lightning struck power outage, you know, I'm saying the gods was crying a rail was here. The young boy that walked with Lions. Do I really believe that J. Cole was walking with would live with literal Lions, you know what I'm saying? Like you have to use like we don't we believe we we understand what he's trying what he's saying, but we don't believe those at the every word to be actually true rap music has a long history as a rebellious and defiant art form that has developed unique and specific artistic conventions and modes of expression rap music is the verbal and musical element of hip-hop a cultural movement born in response to social conditions and predominantly black and urban communities including economic decline D and D industrialization urban neglect and high crime hip-hop comprises multiple forms of artistic expression, including breakdancing DJing graffiti and emceeing the four pillars. Rap is an extension of the black American tradition of oral storytelling and signifying a technique that incorporates exaggeration. Okay. These are the experts. These are the scholars exaggeration metaphor and wordplay if you if you think if a rapper were just to rap in a completely literal way. I just don't I don't think I don't rap wouldn't be what it is. It's like reading. It's like reading a book without any sort of you at that point. You're just reading that you just it's just text. It's a dictionary, right? It's a dictionary. Everything is literal. Everything means this it's but the art is the exaggeration is the metaphor is the wordplay the core of signifying is the in a way, excuse me, the core signifying is the intentional manipulation of language contrasting between literal and figurative meanings to create ambiguous and intentionally complex messages intentionally complex messages when combined with raps use of constantly evolving black vernacular slang and its tendency to create new words and attribute very meanings to common words. Rap is particularly susceptible to misinterpretation ie why at least why I think some of the channels the reaction channels do what they do. And again, I've always said I've said this before too. This is a sidebar. I said this before too. We're not always right either, but it's it's it's our interpretation of what's being said, right? There is no there's no rubric. There's no syllabus or whatever you would call it. You know, I'm saying that says this is exactly what they need. This is what they said and this is what we took from it and very often a lot of us tend to agree that that's what's being said. So because things are often misinterpreted. That's one of the reasons why I feel like reaction channels have some successes because we're able to interpret some of the things because maybe we understand it or see it a little bit differently and that's not to say that the listeners don't. I just think that even sometimes you just want to see I heard it that way too. You heard it that way too. Okay, but that's what I'm getting to right it is therefore critically important that courts understand the history norms and artistic conventions of rap music as crucial factors in determining the meaning of rap lyrics in the words of the California Court of Appeals. Given a figurative expressions, which they are they are not intended to be and should not be read literally on their face. Okay, so say Drake heard you like I'm young and even then that's something that's already been out in the open. I wasn't the first person to say that and then also in your lyrics you told me to talk about it. I don't understand why it's like bro close the book. We're not revisiting this again. I don't understand that. I think the legal system. I don't know should address that. I mean, that's not something I can say, but it's crazy why we're even here still. Okay, so back to page 15. Oh these games of insult are meant to showcase the intellect sharpness of the tongue and wit of the competitors and that's always been the thing that I've said just because what I said and I'm thinking about Kendrick just because what Kendrick said stuck and stung a little bit more and I was just a bit more witty than you. That's that's the that's the I was sharper than you. That's why what you said didn't necessarily stick and that's not to say that there aren't some losers out there who actually believe that Kendrick's kids aren't his kids or that he somehow you know is has, you know domestic abuse allegations or a domestic abuse in his in his past or something like that that didn't stick that wasn't the overarching belief, right rap music is a continuation of these cultural traditions in the words of rapper Ice Cube the essence and origin of hip-hop is to battle now. I don't really know if Jay-z would agree with that anymore seeing as how he's gotten successful off of that. And then now thinks that maybe it shouldn't be a part of hip-hop anymore. I don't even understand that that's how that man made a name for himself. Not to say to his lyrics didn't do it for himself, but the battle definitely catapulted both of them. As a result rap is an especially rich site of insult where insults abound as a means of spice rebellion entertainment and humor building on the genres traditional use of metaphor play on words and boasting that's a consistent theme that we're seeing is them highlighting metaphors playing on words and boasting this is that this is the the essence ground-level understanding of what rapping is to a certain degree. Nowhere is this more evident than in a that in then in rap battles and diss tracks staples of the genre. I just I don't even understand. I don't even understand what we had anymore, bro. I literally don't since long before the few between Drake and Kendrick Lamar diss tracks by famous artists have drawn the attention of hundreds of millions of people. Even those who are not hip-hop fans the 1990s East Coast West Coast rivalry, for example drew significant attention as rival camps of hip-hop labels and artists exchange in exchange inflammatory diss tracks, which inspired chains of responses including references to prior tracks industry disputes and public rumors because responses to diss tracks take time audience audiences. Learn details about the insults and attacks in the tracks analyze them in details choose sides and then and discuss them with other people. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. They cook it right here. Hold on. They cook it right here. And that's that's literally what happened Drake dropped his Kendrick took a little bit of time to respond. People were discussing it back and forth. Oh man, what is Kendrick going to say? What what what you know, how should he respond? How can he respond then he responds take some time for Drake to respond. Now people are saying oh, let's look into what Kendrick was saying, you know, don't tell no lies about me. I won't tell no truth about you. Okay. What is he talking about? People then start conversing about it finding out exactly what's going on. And that's how you get this kind of these discussions to happen. So it happens organically. Let me read that again. Because responses to diss tracks take time audiences learn details about the insults and attacks in the tracks analyze them in detail choose sides and discuss them with other people in real life and on the internet the barbershop and of course here too, right this leads to a phenomenon in which diss tracks are deeply deeply intertextual and layer often involving entire communities by evoking regional pride the West Coast, right the West Coast pride was up. This is so true. And I think that's why they needed to add that level of understanding in context to the court so they can understand this is absurd. This is literally absurd and the battle between Eminem and Kelly. Oh, is that MGK? Okay? I'm like Kelly and the battle between Eminem and Kelly inspired hundreds of videos and discussion posts on the internet evidencing the rich dialogue and interpretation associated with rat beef culture. That's crazy that that's even example that they use there's there's a lot of different examples, but I think that was a pretty major beef too, but the crazy thing is I don't know if they have and maybe they have and I've just we've just read so many documents that I'm kind of losing sight of it. Have they referenced the fact that he's beef with pussy T and meat meal as well like as you have they referenced that he's been through this before. Why are we doing this now? Right like you've done this before. Why didn't you sue before for defamation? They said pretty nasty things about you too, right? They actually actually pussy T unloaded the gym that you had a child that you were hiding. Why not sue for that? Right? The use of rap lyrics and judicial proceedings threatens to undermine important civil and constitutional rights treating rap lyrics as factual representations undermines First Amendment rights Drake's argument in this appeal rest on the promise excuse me on the premise that not like us should be taken literally as factual representation amici. I'm just gonna say that amici. I don't even know I'm saying that right amici urge this court to recognize the danger that assumption poses to the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of speech good old First Amendment, right like we we have the freedom of speech can say what you want. That doesn't mean there isn't consequences to what you say, but suing over a rap beef where that is the literal the most basic understanding of what rap is is insanity when courts ignore rap music's history and artistic conventions. The effect is to deny rap the status of art and instead to flatten lyrics into literal confessions down that you suffering when you say it like that the effect is to deny rap the status of art. You're saying now that's not art. We're going to flatten that to literal confessions of statements of specific intent. Wow as we discussed below this problematic treatment has introduced racial bias and unfair prejudice in countless criminal cases and has created a demonstrable chilling effect across the industry changing longtime artistic practices a phenomenon a phenomenon rappers commentators and policymakers are discussing with increasing urgency. The United States District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania recently recognized this danger in a civil case involving rap lyrics and established a presumption that artistic expression is not a factual admission. Come on dog. What else do we need to say? What else do we need to say? This is the last page here. This is the last page in short. It is dangerous to take rap lyrics. Literally doing so not only flattens artistic expression and risks that the lyrics will be misunderstood or misconstrued it opens the door to racial bias and prejudice in judicial proceedings introducing rap lyrics at trial is a way to invoke racial stereotypes without ever explicitly mentioning race and to do so in a way that shapes how jurors perceive the evidence and the defendant though Drake has previously acknowledged this danger publicly because he has that he signed some petitions he now paradoxically and probably problematically embraces it by citing to the fact that the courts have permitted the use of rap evidence in criminal trials, but this compares this comparison recklessly conflates proving elements of a crime in the criminal context with treating lyrics as factual statements in the civil defamation context, even when rap evidence is admitted in criminal trials, despite overwhelming evidence showing a risk of unfair prejudice and our prejudice racial bias and misinterpretation. It is rarely introduced for the truth of the matter asserted far more often. It is used for different purposes such as to demonstrate gang affiliation. Okay, so it's like they're talking about being in a gang. That's what we're talking about. Right? We're not talking about I got I was so high. I was in the moon was like, oh you you really went to the moon. Like that's not what we're talking about. That was a really bad example, but that's all I could think of at the time finally and more fundamentally Drake has endorsed a practice. He himself has argued is dangerous and wrong. He's endorsed it. He's been a part of it. He is well aware that as as three decades of research have shown. It is extremely difficult to consider rap evidence in any courtroom setting without ignoring the context discounting raps artistic merit and activating racial bias and stereotypes. Oh man, this is this is they they literally are they're basically saying what we've all been saying like it's not rocket science. It's not new like these are lawyers who are able to articulate this in a way that maybe and are doing a lot of research that maybe make it more understandable and palatable for people. But this is what the massive people have been saying. It's a rap battle dog. This is what we do. We talk ----. We embellish you throw a little spice in there. You throw a little truth in there. You throw some jabs. You throw some rumors in there and it's like, oh my God, you're not able to do that. You're defaming me because you're throwing rumors in there that I've perpetuated myself. I don't know. This should be over. Like I can't wait to see when this is over so we can get Pat we're not able to get past this moment because we're still here talking about it in 2026. Let me know how you guys feel about this in the comments. Please hit that like button subscribe to the channel shout out to is this one forever wanna forever? Is that what it is? Wanna forever man. She's sent me stuff over. They sent me stuff over quite a bit of time. I was happy that they had kind of put some of these things in order for us to go ahead and take a look at man, but let me know how you feel about this in the comments. Hit that like button subscribe to the channel. Like I said, we on the way to 60 K can't do it without y'all. I will see y'all in the next one. I'm out. Peace.