NEW YORK, Oct 29 (Reuters) - The superstar rapper Drake

is appealing the dismissal of his defamation lawsuit against

Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar's

Grammy-winning diss track "Not Like Us," according to a court

filing on Wednesday.

Drake will ask the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in

Manhattan to overturn the October 9 dismissal by U.S. District

Judge Jeannette Vargas.

UMG releases Drake's and Lamar's music. It did not

immediately respond to a request for comment on Drake's appeal,

but has said it was pleased with the dismissal.

Drake, whose given name is Aubrey Drake Graham, sued UMG in

January over its promotion of "Not Like Us," saying the song

deceives listeners into believing the false accusation that he

is a pedophile.

The lawsuit follows a decade-long feud in which Drake and

Lamar released diss tracks said to target each other. Lamar is

not a defendant.

In dismissing the case, Vargas said Lamar's lyrics were not

defamatory because they amounted to opinion.

"Although the accusation that Plaintiff is a pedophile is

certainly a serious one, the broader context of a heated rap

battle, with incendiary language and offensive accusations

hurled by both participants, would not incline the reasonable

listener to believe that 'Not Like Us' imparts verifiable

facts," Vargas wrote.

The appeals process could last at least several months.

"Not Like Us" won Grammy Awards in February for record and

song of the year, and spent three weeks atop Billboard's Hot

100. Lamar performed it at this year's Super Bowl halftime show.