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A court official has thrown out Drake's legal claim targeting the music corporation concerning Kendrick Lamar’s track Not Like Us.

Presiding Judge Jeannette Vargas determined that Lamar's song lyrics, which claimed the artist and his crew of being "certified paedophiles", were "protected opinion" and cannot be deemed defamatory.

The Canadian rapper filed the legal action in early this year, accusing UMG, the record label behind both artists, of defamation by permitting the song to be published and marketed, stating it spread a "untrue and harmful story".

The artist’s representative said he intended to challenge the decision. Universal Music Group expressed it was pleased with the outcome and was looking forward to resuming its work with the rapper.

Context of the Hip-Hop Feud

The diss song, which was initially released in spring 2024, was broadly viewed as the decisive blow in an continuing feud between the competing artists.

It has emerged as the biggest hit of the rapper’s musical journey, having won multiple Grammy awards and being one of the most-talked about moments of his Super Bowl half-time show in early 2025.

In a 38-page order, the judge called the dispute between the rappers "the most infamous rap battle in the genre's history".

"The artists' series of diss tracks was a 'war of words' that was the focus of substantial media scrutiny and digital debate," the judge wrote.

"Although the accusation that Drake is a child predator is undoubtedly a serious one, the broader context of a intense musical rivalry, with provocative remarks and offensive accusations hurled by both participants, would not lead the average audience to believe that 'Not Like Us' imparts verifiable facts about the claimant."

She additionally observed that, in an previous track, Drake had "dared Lamar to make the pedophile claims" that featured in Not Like Us.

On the track his own release, Drake used the synthetic vocals of Tupac Shakur to give Lamar advice on how to win the rap battle.

"Talk about him likin' young girls, that's a gift from me," the track proposed.

"It is in this context in which such lines as 'Hey Drake, I’ve heard you prefer them young' must be assessed," stated the court.

"The parallel in the phrasing strongly indicates that this lyric is a direct callback to Drake's lyrics in the earlier release."

'An Affront to Artists'

Drake, whose legal name is Aubrey Graham, did not sue his rival in the lawsuit.

His legal team accused UMG of launching "an effort to generate a viral hit" out of a release that made the "false factual allegation that Drake is a criminal paedophile, and to imply that the public should turn to vigilante justice in retaliation".

Ruling against the plaintiff, Judge Vargas said fans would not expect "truthful accounts" from a musical attack "replete with vulgar language, trash-talking, threats of violence, and figurative and hyperbolic language."

She pointed out that Drake himself had used comparable rhetoric, quoting a line in which the artist "strongly" suggested that "his opponent is a spouse beater", and a separate instance where he "claims that he 'heard' that one of his rival’s children may not be his biological offspring."

Concerning the track in question, the court said: "Although apparent statements of fact may take on the nature of subjective views... when made in open discourse, heated labour dispute, or other circumstances in which an audience may expect the use of slurs, passionate language or exaggeration."

Responding to the dismissal, a label representative said: "From the outset, this lawsuit was an insult to all artists and their artistic freedom and never should have seen the light of day."

"We are satisfied with the court's dismissal and look forward to continuing our partnership successfully marketing Drake's music and supporting his artistic path," the representative continued.

A representative for Drake said the rapper intended to appeal the ruling, "and we look forward to the appellate court reviewing it".

Kendrick Lamar has yet to comment on the legal matter.