Whelp, looks like Drake will not be spending the final stretch of the year dealing with his appeal tied to a defamation claim involving Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.”
When it comes to court activity around the dismissed lawsuit, it slowed after a mediation session, which was originally placed on the calendar for Friday, December 19, but was moved to January 8. The update was first flagged by The OVO Docket on social media. The rescheduling reportedly came from the court, not from attorneys on either side, and reflects standard procedure within the Court of Appeals, where mediation is required for filings.
Get this, the shift lines up with broader holiday pauses already requested in the case. Legal teams for Drake and Universal Music Group sought temporary relief around end-of-year deadlines. Those requests centered on written briefs and procedural timelines rather than the mediation itself, but the effect is a clean pause until early January.
As it appears that courtroom obligations are on hold, this shifts attention to Drake’s music. His long-rumored ICEMAN project remains without a release date or confirmed rollout plans. Early fan speculation pointed toward a late-2025 drop, but current signals suggest a full solo album may not arrive until 2026. If that holds, it would be his first major solo release since 2023’s For All the Dogs. Still, surprise releases remain part of his playbook.
Outside of music and legal matters, Drake has continued sparring online. He recently took aim at Ebro Darden following the cancellation of In The Morning on Hot 97, a jab fueled by Darden’s years-long critiques of the rapper.
As the year closes, the appeal connected to Kendrick Lamar will remain dormant, leaving Drake with a rare legal breather heading into the new year.