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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.

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

The Canadian rapper submitted the lawsuit in January, accusing UMG, the music company behind both artists, of defamation by permitting the track to be released and promoted, stating it spread a "untrue and harmful story".

Drake's representative stated he intended to appeal the decision. UMG expressed it was pleased with the result and was eager to continuing its work with the rapper.

Background of the Rap Battle

The diss song, which was initially released in May 2024, was broadly viewed as the final strike in an continuing feud between the competing artists.

It has become the biggest hit of Lamar's musical journey, having received multiple Grammy awards and being one of the most-talked about highlights of his Super Bowl performance in early 2025.

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

"The artists' seven-track rap battle was a 'verbal conflict' that was the subject of substantial media scrutiny and online discourse," the court wrote.

"While the claim that plaintiff is a child predator is certainly a grave allegation, the wider backdrop of a intense musical rivalry, with incendiary language and offensive accusations hurled by each artist, would not lead the reasonable listener to believe that 'Not Like Us' imparts verifiable facts about the claimant."

She also noted that, in an previous track, Drake had "challenged his rival to make the paedophilia accusations" that featured in the diss record.

On the track his own release, the rapper 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 track suggested.

"Against this backdrop in which such lyrics as 'Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young' must be assessed," wrote the court.

"The parallel in the phrasing suggests strongly that this lyric is a direct callback to Drake's lyrics in the prior song."

'A Slap in the Face to Creatives'

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

His legal team accused UMG of launching "a campaign to create a popular song" out of a release that made the "untrue claim that Drake is a convicted predator, and to suggest that the audience should turn to vigilante justice in retaliation".

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

She highlighted that Drake himself had used similar language, quoting a lyric in which the artist "heavily" suggested that "his opponent is a domestic abuser", and another where Drake "claims that he 'was told' that one of Lamar's children may not be biologically his."

Regarding the track in question, the court said: "Even apparent statements of fact may take on the nature of subjective views... when made in public debate, intense arguments, or similar situations in which an audience may anticipate the use of slurs, fiery rhetoric or exaggeration."

Reacting to the rejection, a label spokesperson said: "From the beginning, this lawsuit was an insult to every creative and their artistic freedom and never should have seen the light of day."

"We are satisfied with the court's dismissal and look forward to resuming our work effectively promoting Drake's music and investing in his career," the representative continued.

A representative for the musician said the artist planned to appeal the decision, "and we await the appellate court reviewing it".

Lamar has yet to comment on the legal matter.