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A court official has rejected Drake's defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar's track Not Like Us.

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

The Canadian rapper filed the legal action in January, accusing UMG, the music company representing both artists, of defamation by allowing the track to be published and marketed, stating it disseminated a "untrue and harmful story".

Drake's spokesperson said he planned to challenge the ruling. UMG expressed it was pleased with the result and was eager to resuming its collaboration with the musician.

Context of the Rap Battle

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

It has emerged as the biggest hit of the rapper’s musical journey, having won multiple Grammy awards 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 artists "the most notorious hip-hop feud in the history of rap music".

"Both rappers’ seven-track rap battle was a 'war of words' that was the focus of extensive press coverage and online discourse," the judge noted.

"Although the claim that Drake is a child predator is undoubtedly a serious one, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with provocative remarks and insulting claims hurled by both participants, would not lead the reasonable listener to believe that 'the track' conveys truthful statements about the claimant."

She also noted that, in an earlier song, the artist had "challenged his rival to make the pedophile claims" 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 suggested.

"Against this backdrop in which such lyrics as 'Hey Drake, I’ve heard you prefer them young' must be assessed," wrote the court.

"The parallel in the phrasing strongly indicates that this line is a direct callback to Drake's lyrics in the earlier release."

'An Affront to Artists'

Drake, whose legal name is Aubrey Drake Graham, did not sue his rival in the legal filing.

His lawyers alleged the label of launching "an effort to generate a viral hit" out of a release that made the "false factual allegation that Drake is a convicted predator, and to imply that the public should resort to vigilante justice in response".

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

She pointed out that Drake himself had used comparable rhetoric, referencing a line in which the artist "strongly" suggested that "Lamar is a spouse beater", and another where he "raps that he 'heard' that one of his rival’s sons may not be his biological offspring."

Regarding the track in question, Judge Vargas said: "Even apparent statements of fact may assume the character of subjective views... when made in public debate, heated labour dispute, or similar situations in which an audience may anticipate the use of slurs, fiery rhetoric or exaggeration."

Reacting to the dismissal, a label representative said: "From the beginning, this lawsuit was an affront to every creative and their artistic freedom and never should have been filed."

"We're pleased with the judge’s ruling and are eager to resuming our partnership effectively promoting Drake's music and investing in his career," the representative added.

A representative for Drake said the rapper planned to contest the decision, "and we await the appellate court reviewing it".

Lamar has not yet comment on the legal matter.