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A court official has dismissed the rapper Drake’s legal claim targeting the music corporation over Kendrick Lamar’s track Not Like Us.

Presiding Judge the court’s judge decided that Lamar's lyrics, which accused Drake and his crew of being "certified paedophiles", were "protected opinion" and cannot be considered libelous.

The Canadian rapper submitted the legal action in early this year, accusing Universal Music Group, the music company behind the two rappers, of defamation by permitting the song to be released and marketed, stating it disseminated a "false and malicious narrative".

The artist’s spokesperson stated he intended to challenge the ruling. UMG expressed it was satisfied with the outcome and was eager to resuming its work with the musician.

Context of the Hip-Hop Feud

The diss song, which was first dropped in spring 2024, was broadly viewed as the final strike in an continuing feud between the rival rappers.

It has become the biggest hit of Lamar's career, having won multiple Grammy awards and being one of the most-discussed highlights of his Super Bowl performance in early 2025.

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

"Both rappers’ series of diss tracks was a 'verbal conflict' that was the subject of extensive press coverage and online discourse," the court noted.

"While the claim that plaintiff is a child predator is undoubtedly a serious one, the wider backdrop of a intense musical rivalry, with provocative remarks and offensive accusations exchanged by both participants, would not lead the reasonable listener to believe that 'the track' conveys truthful statements about the claimant."

She additionally observed that, in an earlier song, the artist had "dared Lamar to make the paedophilia accusations" that featured in the diss record.

On the track Taylor Made Freestyle, the rapper used the AI-generated voice of Tupac Shakur to give Lamar advice on how to prevail in the feud.

"Suggest he has a preference for minors, consider that a tip," the song proposed.

"It is in this context in which such lyrics as 'Hey Drake, I’ve heard you prefer them young' must be assessed," wrote Judge Vargas.

"The similarity in the wording suggests strongly that this lyric is a direct callback to Drake's lyrics in the prior song."

'A Slap in the Face to Creatives'

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

His lawyers accused UMG of launching "an effort to create a popular song" out of a release that made the "false factual allegation that Drake is a criminal paedophile, and to imply that the public should resort to vigilante justice in response".

Ruling against the plaintiff, the judge said listeners would not expect "accurate factual reporting" from a musical attack "filled with vulgar language, trash-talking, violent implications, and figurative and hyperbolic language."

She highlighted that the rapper himself had engaged in comparable rhetoric, referencing a line in which the artist "heavily" implied 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 Lamar's song, Judge Vargas said: "Although seemingly factual claims may take on the nature of statements of opinion... when made in open discourse, heated labour dispute, or similar situations in which an audience may anticipate the use of epithets, passionate language or exaggeration."

Responding to the dismissal, a UMG spokesperson said: "From the outset, this lawsuit was an affront to all artists and their artistic freedom and should not have been filed."

"We are satisfied with the court's dismissal and look forward to continuing our work successfully promoting the artist’s work and supporting his artistic path," the spokesperson added.

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

Kendrick Lamar has yet to comment on the legal matter.