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A court official has rejected the rapper Drake’s legal claim against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar’s track Not Like Us.

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

The Canadian rapper filed the lawsuit in early this year, accusing Universal Music Group, the record label behind the two rappers, of defamation by permitting the track to be released and promoted, saying it spread a "false and malicious narrative".

The artist’s representative said he planned to challenge the ruling. UMG expressed it was satisfied with the result and was looking forward to continuing its collaboration with the rapper.

Context of the Rap Battle

The diss song, which was first dropped in May 2024, was widely seen as the decisive blow in an ongoing battle between the competing artists.

It has become the most successful track of the rapper’s musical journey, having received multiple Grammy awards and being one of the most-discussed moments of his Super Bowl half-time show in February.

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

"Both rappers’ series of diss tracks was a 'verbal conflict' that was the focus of extensive press coverage and online discourse," the court noted.

"Although the claim that plaintiff is a child predator is certainly a grave allegation, the broader context of a intense musical rivalry, with provocative remarks and offensive accusations hurled by each artist, would not lead the reasonable listener to believe that 'the track' conveys verifiable facts about plaintiff."

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

On the song his own release, Drake used the synthetic vocals of the late rapper to give Lamar advice on how to prevail in the feud.

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

"Against this backdrop in which such lyrics as 'Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young' must be assessed," stated Judge Vargas.

"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 name Lamar in the legal filing.

His legal team alleged UMG of launching "a campaign to generate a popular song" out of a track that made the "untrue claim that the artist is a convicted predator, and to imply that the public should resort to vigilante justice in retaliation".

Deciding against the plaintiff, Judge Vargas said listeners would not expect "accurate factual reporting" from a musical attack "filled with vulgar language, trash-talking, violent implications, and exaggerated statements."

She pointed out that the rapper himself had used comparable rhetoric, quoting a lyric in which the artist "strongly" suggested that "his opponent is a spouse beater", and another where he "claims that he 'heard' that one of Lamar's sons may not be biologically his."

Concerning Lamar's song, Judge Vargas said: "Even seemingly factual claims may assume the character of subjective views... when made in open discourse, heated labour dispute, or similar situations in which an audience may anticipate the use of epithets, passionate language or hyperbole."

Responding to the rejection, a label representative said: "From the outset, this lawsuit was an insult to all artists and their artistic freedom and never should have been filed."

"We're pleased with the judge’s ruling and look forward to resuming our partnership successfully marketing Drake's music and supporting his career," the representative continued.

A spokesperson for the musician said the artist planned to appeal the ruling, "and we await the Court of Appeals examining it".

Kendrick Lamar has not yet comment on the legal matter.