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A court official has thrown out the rapper Drake’s defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar's track Not Like Us.

Judge Jeannette Vargas ruled that the rapper’s lyrics, which accused Drake and his associates of being "pedophiles", were "nonactionable opinion" and could not be deemed libelous.

The Canadian rapper submitted the lawsuit in January, accusing UMG, the record label representing the two rappers, of defamation by allowing the song to be released and marketed, saying it disseminated a "false and malicious narrative".

Drake's spokesperson said he intended to appeal the ruling. UMG expressed it was pleased with the result and was eager to resuming its work with the rapper.

Context of the Rap Battle

Not Like Us, which was first dropped in spring 2024, was broadly viewed as the final strike in an continuing feud between the rival rappers.

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 highlights of his Super Bowl half-time show in early 2025.

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

"Both rappers’ series of diss tracks was a 'verbal conflict' that was the focus of substantial media scrutiny and online discourse," the court noted.

"Although the accusation that plaintiff is a child predator is certainly a grave allegation, the broader context of a intense musical rivalry, with incendiary language and offensive accusations hurled by both participants, would not lead the reasonable listener to believe that 'Not Like Us' imparts truthful statements about the claimant."

She also noted that, in an earlier song, the artist had "dared Lamar to make the paedophilia accusations" that featured in Not Like Us.

On the song Taylor Made Freestyle, 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 song proposed.

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

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

'An Affront to Artists'

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

His lawyers alleged the label of launching "an effort to generate a viral hit" out of a track that made the "false factual allegation that the artist is a criminal paedophile, and to imply that the public should turn to extra-legal action in response".

Deciding against Drake, the judge said fans would not expect "truthful accounts" from a diss track "filled with profanity, trash-talking, violent implications, and exaggerated statements."

She pointed out that Drake himself had engaged in comparable rhetoric, referencing a line in which the artist "strongly" suggested that "Lamar is a spouse beater", and another where Drake "raps that he 'was told' that one of his rival’s children may not be biologically his."

Regarding the track in question, Judge Vargas said: "Even apparent statements of fact may assume the character of statements of opinion... when made in open discourse, intense arguments, or other circumstances in which an audience may expect the use of slurs, passionate language or exaggeration."

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

"We are satisfied with the judge’s ruling and look forward to continuing our work effectively promoting the artist’s work and investing in his artistic path," the representative continued.

A spokesperson for the musician said the artist planned to contest the decision, "and we look forward to the Court of Appeals examining it".

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