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A court official has dismissed the rapper Drake’s defamation lawsuit targeting Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar’s song Not Like Us.

Presiding Judge Jeannette Vargas decided that Lamar's lyrics, which accused Drake and his associates of being "pedophiles", were "nonactionable opinion" and could not be deemed libelous.

Drake filed the legal action in January, accusing UMG, the record label behind both artists, of defamatory conduct by allowing the song to be released and promoted, stating it disseminated a "untrue and harmful story".

Drake's spokesperson stated he intended to appeal the ruling. UMG expressed it was pleased with the outcome and was eager to continuing its work with the musician.

Background of the Hip-Hop Feud

Not Like Us, which was initially released in May 2024, was broadly viewed as the decisive blow in an ongoing battle between the competing artists.

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

In a detailed ruling, Judge Vargas called the dispute between the artists "the most infamous rap battle in the genre's history".

"The artists' series of diss tracks was a 'verbal conflict' that was the focus of substantial media scrutiny and digital debate," the court wrote.

"Although the accusation that Drake is a child predator is certainly a serious one, the broader context of a intense musical rivalry, with provocative remarks and offensive accusations exchanged by each artist, would not incline the average audience to believe that 'the track' imparts verifiable facts about plaintiff."

She additionally observed that, in an earlier song, the artist had "challenged his rival to make the pedophile claims" that featured in the diss record.

On the song his own release, Drake used the AI-generated voice of Tupac Shakur to suggest strategies on how to win the rap battle.

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

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

"The parallel in the wording strongly indicates that this line is a clear reference to Drake's lyrics in the earlier release."

'An Affront to Artists'

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

His legal team accused UMG of launching "an effort to create a viral hit" out of a release that made the "false factual allegation that the artist is a criminal paedophile, and to imply that the audience should resort to vigilante justice in response".

Deciding against the plaintiff, Judge Vargas said fans would not expect "truthful accounts" from a diss track "filled with profanity, insults, violent implications, and exaggerated statements."

She pointed out that Drake himself had engaged in similar language, quoting a lyric in which the star "strongly" suggested that "his opponent is a domestic abuser", and another where Drake "raps that he 'heard' that one of Lamar's children may not be biologically his."

Concerning Lamar's song, the court said: "Although apparent statements of fact may take on the nature of statements of opinion... when made in public debate, intense arguments, or other circumstances in which an listener may anticipate the use of epithets, passionate language or exaggeration."

Responding to the rejection, a label representative said: "From the outset, this case was an insult to all artists and their creative expression and never should have been filed."

"We are satisfied with the court's dismissal and look forward to resuming our partnership successfully promoting the artist’s work and supporting his artistic path," the representative continued.

A representative for the musician said the artist planned to contest the ruling, "and we look forward to the appellate court reviewing it".

Lamar has yet to issue a statement on the case.