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A court official has thrown out Drake's defamation lawsuit against the music corporation concerning Kendrick Lamar's track Not Like Us.

Judge Jeannette Vargas decided that the rapper’s lyrics, which claimed the artist and his crew of being "pedophiles", were "nonactionable opinion" and could not be deemed libelous.

Drake submitted the lawsuit in early this year, accusing UMG, the record label behind the two rappers, of defamation by permitting the track to be published and promoted, saying it disseminated a "false and malicious narrative".

Drake's spokesperson said he planned to appeal the decision. Universal Music Group said it was pleased with the outcome and was looking forward to resuming its collaboration with the musician.

Context of the Rap Battle

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 Lamar's career, having won multiple Grammy awards and being one of the most-discussed moments of his Super Bowl half-time show in early 2025.

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

"Both rappers’ seven-track rap battle was a 'verbal conflict' that was the focus of extensive press coverage and online discourse," the court noted.

"While the claim that Drake is a pedophile is undoubtedly a serious one, the wider backdrop of a heated rap battle, with incendiary language and insulting claims hurled by both participants, would not lead the average audience to believe that 'the track' conveys truthful statements about the claimant."

She also noted that, in an earlier song, Drake had "challenged Lamar to make the paedophilia accusations" that featured in the diss record.

On the song Taylor Made Freestyle, the rapper used the AI-generated voice of the late rapper to suggest strategies on how to prevail in the feud.

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

"Against this backdrop in which such lines as 'Hey Drake, I’ve heard you prefer them young' must be evaluated," stated Judge Vargas.

"The parallel in the wording suggests strongly that this line is a direct callback to the artist’s own words in the earlier release."

'A Slap in the Face to Creatives'

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

His legal team alleged UMG of launching "a campaign to create a viral hit" out of a track that made the "untrue claim that the artist is a convicted predator, and to suggest that the audience should turn to vigilante justice in retaliation".

Ruling against Drake, Judge Vargas said fans would not expect "truthful accounts" from a musical attack "replete with profanity, insults, threats of violence, and figurative and hyperbolic language."

She highlighted that Drake himself had used comparable rhetoric, quoting a lyric in which the star "heavily" suggested that "Lamar is a domestic abuser", and a separate instance where Drake "raps that he 'heard' that one of Lamar's children may not be biologically his."

Concerning Lamar's song, Judge Vargas said: "Even seemingly factual claims may take on the nature of subjective views... when made in open discourse, intense arguments, or similar situations in which an audience may anticipate the use of epithets, fiery rhetoric or hyperbole."

Reacting to the rejection, a label representative said: "From the outset, this case was an affront to every creative and their artistic freedom and should not have seen the light of day."

"We're pleased with the judge’s ruling and look forward to resuming our work effectively promoting the artist’s work and supporting his career," the representative continued.

A representative for Drake said the artist planned to appeal the ruling, "and we await the Court of Appeals examining it".

Lamar has not yet comment on the case.