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A court official has rejected the rapper Drake’s defamation lawsuit against the music corporation concerning Kendrick Lamar’s track Not Like Us.

Presiding Judge Jeannette Vargas ruled that Lamar's lyrics, which accused Drake and his associates of being "certified paedophiles", were "protected opinion" and cannot be deemed defamatory.

Drake filed the legal action in early this year, claiming UMG, the music company behind the two rappers, of defamatory conduct by permitting the song to be published and marketed, stating it disseminated a "false and malicious narrative".

The artist’s spokesperson said he intended to appeal the ruling. UMG expressed it was pleased with the result and was looking forward to continuing its work with the rapper.

Background of the Rap Battle

The diss song, which was initially released in spring 2024, was widely seen as the decisive blow in an ongoing battle between the competing artists.

It has become 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 performance in February.

In a 38-page order, Judge Vargas called the dispute between the rappers "the most notorious hip-hop feud in the history of rap music".

"Both rappers’ series of diss tracks was a 'war of words' that was the focus of extensive press coverage and online discourse," the court wrote.

"While the accusation that Drake is a pedophile is undoubtedly a grave allegation, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with provocative remarks and insulting claims exchanged by each artist, would not lead the reasonable listener to believe that 'Not Like Us' conveys verifiable facts about plaintiff."

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

On the track his own release, Drake used the AI-generated voice of Tupac Shakur to suggest strategies on how to prevail in the feud.

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

"Against this backdrop in which such lines as 'Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young' must be evaluated," wrote Judge Vargas.

"The similarity in the phrasing suggests strongly that this line is a clear reference to Drake's lyrics in the earlier release."

'A Slap in the Face to Creatives'

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

His legal team alleged the label of launching "a campaign to generate a viral hit" out of a release that made the "untrue claim that Drake is a convicted predator, and to imply that the audience should turn to vigilante justice in retaliation".

Ruling against Drake, Judge Vargas said fans would not expect "accurate factual reporting" from a musical attack "filled with profanity, trash-talking, threats of violence, and exaggerated statements."

She pointed out that the rapper himself had engaged in comparable rhetoric, quoting a lyric in which the star "heavily" suggested that "Lamar is a spouse beater", and a separate instance where he "claims that he 'was told' that one of Lamar's sons may not be his biological offspring."

Concerning Lamar's song, Judge Vargas said: "Although seemingly factual claims may assume the character of statements of opinion... when made in open discourse, intense arguments, or similar situations in which an audience may expect the use of slurs, fiery rhetoric or hyperbole."

Reacting to the rejection, a UMG representative said: "From the beginning, this case was an insult to all artists and their artistic freedom and never should have been filed."

"We are satisfied with the court's dismissal and are eager to resuming our work successfully promoting Drake's music and supporting his artistic path," the representative added.

A spokesperson for the musician said the rapper intended to contest the decision, "and we await the appellate court reviewing it".

Lamar has not yet issue a statement on the legal matter.