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A court official has dismissed Drake's defamation lawsuit targeting the music corporation over Kendrick Lamar’s track Not Like Us.

Presiding Judge the court’s judge ruled that Lamar's lyrics, which accused Drake and his associates of being "certified paedophiles", were "protected opinion" and could not be deemed defamatory.

Drake filed the lawsuit in January, claiming UMG, the record label behind the two rappers, of defamatory conduct by allowing the track to be released and marketed, saying it spread a "false and malicious narrative".

Drake's representative stated he planned to appeal the decision. UMG said it was pleased with the result and was looking forward to resuming its work with the rapper.

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 competing artists.

It has become the biggest hit of the rapper’s career, having received multiple Grammy awards and being one of the most-discussed highlights of his Super Bowl half-time show in February.

In a detailed ruling, 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 substantial media scrutiny and online discourse," the court noted.

"Although the accusation that Drake is a child predator is undoubtedly a serious one, the wider backdrop of a heated rap battle, with provocative remarks and insulting claims hurled by each artist, would not lead the reasonable listener to believe that 'Not Like Us' imparts verifiable facts about the claimant."

She additionally observed that, in an previous track, Drake had "challenged Lamar to make the pedophile claims" that appeared in the diss record.

On the song his own release, the rapper used the synthetic vocals of Tupac Shakur to give Lamar advice on how to win the rap battle.

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

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

"The similarity in the phrasing strongly indicates that this lyric is a direct callback to the artist’s own words in the earlier release."

'A Slap in the Face to Creatives'

Drake, whose real name is Aubrey Drake Graham, did not name Lamar in the legal filing.

His legal team alleged the label of launching "a campaign to generate 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 resort to extra-legal action in response".

Ruling against the plaintiff, the judge said fans would not expect "truthful accounts" from a musical attack "replete with vulgar language, insults, violent implications, 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 "his opponent is a spouse beater", and a separate instance where Drake "claims that he 'was told' that one of Lamar's sons may not be his biological offspring."

Regarding Lamar's song, Judge Vargas said: "Even apparent statements of fact may assume the character of subjective views... when made in public debate, heated labour dispute, or other circumstances in which an audience may expect the use of epithets, passionate language or exaggeration."

Reacting to the dismissal, a label representative said: "From the beginning, this lawsuit was an insult to all artists and their creative expression and never should have seen the light of day."

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

A spokesperson for the musician said the rapper intended to appeal the decision, "and we look forward to the appellate court examining it".

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