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A court official has thrown out the rapper Drake’s defamation lawsuit against the music corporation over Kendrick Lamar’s song Not Like Us.

Judge Jeannette Vargas determined that Lamar's song lyrics, which accused the artist and his crew of being "pedophiles", were "nonactionable opinion" and cannot be deemed libelous.

The Canadian rapper submitted the legal action in early this year, claiming UMG, the record label behind both artists, of defamation by permitting the track to be released and promoted, stating it disseminated a "untrue and harmful story".

The artist’s representative said he planned to appeal the ruling. UMG said it was pleased with the outcome and was looking forward to resuming its collaboration with the musician.

Context of the Hip-Hop Feud

The diss song, which was first dropped in spring 2024, was broadly viewed as the decisive blow in an ongoing battle between the competing artists.

It has become the most successful track of Lamar's career, having received five Grammys and being one of the most-talked about highlights of his Super Bowl half-time show in early 2025.

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

"The artists' series of diss tracks was a 'war of words' that was the subject of extensive press coverage and digital debate," the judge noted.

"While the claim that plaintiff is a child predator is undoubtedly a grave allegation, the broader context of a intense musical rivalry, with incendiary language and insulting claims exchanged by both participants, would not incline the reasonable listener to believe that 'the track' imparts truthful statements about plaintiff."

She also noted that, in an earlier song, Drake had "dared his rival to make the pedophile claims" that appeared in Not Like Us.

On the song his own release, Drake used the AI-generated voice 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," stated Judge Vargas.

"The parallel in the wording strongly indicates that this lyric is a direct callback to the artist’s own words in the prior song."

'An Affront to Artists'

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

His legal team accused UMG of launching "an effort to generate a popular song" out of a track that made the "untrue claim that Drake is a convicted predator, and to imply that the public should resort to extra-legal action in response".

Ruling against Drake, the judge said fans would not expect "accurate factual reporting" from a diss track "replete with vulgar language, trash-talking, threats of violence, and figurative and hyperbolic language."

She pointed out that Drake himself had used comparable rhetoric, quoting a line in which the star "strongly" implied that "his opponent is a spouse beater", and a separate instance where Drake "raps that he 'heard' that one of Lamar's children may not be his biological offspring."

Concerning Lamar's song, Judge Vargas said: "Even apparent statements of fact may assume the character of subjective views... when made in open discourse, intense arguments, or similar situations in which an listener may expect the use of epithets, passionate language or hyperbole."

Responding to the dismissal, a UMG spokesperson said: "From the outset, this case was an affront to all artists and their artistic freedom and never should have seen the light of day."

"We are satisfied with the judge’s ruling and are eager to resuming our work successfully promoting the artist’s work and investing in his artistic path," the spokesperson continued.

A spokesperson for Drake said the rapper intended to contest the ruling, "and we look forward to the Court of Appeals reviewing it".

Lamar has not yet comment on the legal matter.