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A judge has rejected Drake's defamation lawsuit targeting the music corporation over Kendrick Lamar's track Not Like Us.

Presiding Judge Jeannette Vargas ruled that the rapper’s lyrics, which claimed Drake and his crew of being "certified paedophiles", were "nonactionable opinion" and could not be considered defamatory.

The Canadian rapper submitted the lawsuit in January, accusing UMG, the record label behind the two rappers, of defamatory conduct by permitting the song to be published and marketed, stating it spread a "untrue and harmful story".

The artist’s representative said he intended to appeal the ruling. UMG said it was satisfied with the outcome and was looking forward to continuing its collaboration with the musician.

Context of the Hip-Hop Feud

Not Like Us, which was initially released in spring 2024, was widely seen as the final strike in an continuing feud between the competing artists.

It has emerged as the most successful track of Lamar's career, having received five Grammys and being one of the most-discussed moments of his Super Bowl performance in February.

In a detailed ruling, Judge Vargas called the dispute between the rappers "the most infamous rap battle in the history of rap music".

"The artists' series of diss tracks was a 'verbal conflict' that was the focus of extensive press coverage and digital debate," the court wrote.

"Although the accusation that plaintiff is a pedophile is undoubtedly a grave allegation, the broader context of a intense musical rivalry, with incendiary language and insulting claims hurled by both participants, would not incline the average audience to believe that 'the track' imparts verifiable facts about plaintiff."

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 AI-generated voice of Tupac Shakur to suggest strategies on how to win the rap battle.

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

"It is in this context in which such lyrics as 'Hey Drake, I’ve heard you prefer them young' must be assessed," wrote Judge Vargas.

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

'An Affront to Artists'

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

His legal team alleged the label of launching "a campaign to generate a popular song" out of a release that made the "untrue claim that Drake is a criminal paedophile, and to suggest that the public should resort to extra-legal action in retaliation".

Deciding against Drake, the judge said fans would not expect "truthful accounts" from a diss track "replete with profanity, insults, violent implications, and figurative and hyperbolic language."

She pointed out that the rapper himself had used comparable rhetoric, referencing a lyric in which the artist "heavily" implied that "Lamar is a spouse beater", and another where he "claims that he 'was told' that one of Lamar's children may not be biologically his."

Regarding Lamar's song, the court said: "Even seemingly factual claims may take on the nature of subjective views... when made in open discourse, intense arguments, or other circumstances in which an audience may anticipate the use of slurs, fiery rhetoric or exaggeration."

Responding to the dismissal, a UMG representative said: "From the beginning, this case was an insult to all artists and their creative expression and should not have been filed."

"We're pleased with the court's dismissal and look forward to resuming our work successfully marketing the artist’s work and supporting his career," the representative continued.

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

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