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A court official has thrown out the rapper Drake’s defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar’s song the diss record.

Presiding Judge the court’s judge decided that Lamar's lyrics, which claimed Drake and his associates of being "pedophiles", were "nonactionable opinion" and cannot be considered defamatory.

The Canadian rapper submitted the legal action in January, claiming Universal Music Group, the music company representing the two rappers, of defamatory conduct by allowing the song to be released and marketed, saying it spread a "untrue and harmful story".

Drake's spokesperson said he planned to appeal the ruling. Universal Music Group expressed it was pleased with the outcome and was looking forward to continuing its collaboration with the rapper.

Background of the Rap Battle

Not Like Us, which was initially released in May 2024, was widely seen as the decisive blow in an continuing feud between the rival rappers.

It has emerged as the biggest hit of Lamar's musical journey, having won multiple Grammy awards and being one of the most-talked about moments of his Super Bowl performance in February.

In a detailed ruling, Judge Vargas called the dispute between the artists "the most notorious hip-hop feud in the genre's history".

"Both rappers’ seven-track rap battle was a 'verbal conflict' that was the subject of extensive press coverage and digital debate," the judge wrote.

"While the claim that plaintiff is a child predator is certainly a grave allegation, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with provocative remarks and offensive accusations exchanged by both participants, would not incline the reasonable listener to believe that 'the track' conveys verifiable facts about the claimant."

She additionally observed that, in an previous track, the artist had "challenged Lamar to make the paedophilia accusations" that featured in Not Like Us.

On the track his own release, Drake used the synthetic vocals of the late rapper to give Lamar advice on how to win the rap battle.

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

"It is in this context in which such lyrics as 'Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young' must be evaluated," stated the court.

"The similarity in the phrasing strongly indicates that this line is a clear reference to the artist’s own words in the earlier release."

'A Slap in the Face to Creatives'

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

His lawyers accused the label of initiating "an effort to generate a viral hit" out of a release that made the "untrue claim that Drake is a criminal paedophile, and to imply that the audience should turn to vigilante justice in retaliation".

Deciding against Drake, Judge Vargas said fans would not expect "accurate factual reporting" from a diss track "replete with profanity, trash-talking, threats of violence, and exaggerated statements."

She pointed out that Drake himself had used comparable rhetoric, quoting a lyric in which the artist "strongly" implied 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 the track in question, Judge Vargas said: "Although apparent statements of fact may take on the nature of subjective views... when made in open discourse, heated labour dispute, or similar situations in which an listener may anticipate the use of slurs, passionate language or exaggeration."

Reacting to the rejection, a UMG representative said: "From the outset, this case was an affront to every creative and their artistic freedom and never should have seen the light of day."

"We are satisfied with the judge’s ruling and look forward to continuing our work effectively promoting Drake's music and supporting his career," the spokesperson continued.

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

Kendrick Lamar has yet to issue a statement on the case.