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A court official has dismissed Drake's defamation lawsuit targeting the music corporation concerning Kendrick Lamar's track Not Like Us.

Judge the court’s judge decided that Lamar's song lyrics, which claimed Drake and his crew of being "pedophiles", were "nonactionable opinion" and could not be considered libelous.

The Canadian rapper filed the legal action in early this year, claiming Universal Music Group, the music company behind the two rappers, of defamation by allowing the song to be published and marketed, saying it spread a "untrue and harmful story".

Drake's spokesperson said he intended to challenge the decision. Universal Music Group said it was pleased with the result and was eager to continuing its work with the musician.

Background of the Rap Battle

The diss song, which was first dropped in spring 2024, was broadly viewed as the decisive blow in an continuing feud between the rival rappers.

It has emerged as the most successful track of Lamar's career, having won multiple Grammy awards and being one of the most-talked about highlights of his Super Bowl performance in February.

In a detailed ruling, the judge called the row between the artists "the most notorious hip-hop feud in the history of rap music".

"Both rappers’ seven-track rap battle was a 'verbal conflict' that was the focus of substantial media scrutiny and online discourse," the judge noted.

"Although the accusation that Drake is a child predator is undoubtedly a grave allegation, the broader context of a intense musical rivalry, with provocative remarks and insulting claims hurled by each artist, would not lead the average audience to believe that 'Not Like Us' conveys verifiable facts about plaintiff."

She additionally observed that, in an earlier song, the artist had "challenged his rival to make the pedophile claims" that appeared in the diss record.

On the song Taylor Made Freestyle, Drake used the AI-generated voice of Tupac Shakur to suggest strategies 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 lines as 'Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young' must be assessed," wrote Judge Vargas.

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

'A Slap in the Face to Creatives'

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

His legal team alleged UMG of initiating "an effort to generate a popular song" out of a track that made the "untrue claim that Drake is a criminal paedophile, and to imply that the public should resort to extra-legal action in retaliation".

Deciding against Drake, the judge said fans would not expect "accurate factual reporting" from a diss track "filled with vulgar language, insults, threats of violence, and figurative and hyperbolic language."

She pointed out that Drake himself had engaged in similar language, referencing a line in which the star "strongly" implied that "Lamar is a domestic abuser", and another where Drake "raps that he 'heard' that one of Lamar's children may not be biologically his."

Regarding Lamar's song, the court said: "Even apparent statements of fact may assume the character of subjective views... when made in open discourse, intense arguments, or other circumstances in which an audience may expect the use of slurs, passionate language or hyperbole."

Responding to the dismissal, a label spokesperson said: "From the outset, this case was an insult to all artists and their creative expression and should not have seen the light of day."

"We're pleased with the judge’s ruling and are eager to continuing our work effectively marketing Drake's music and investing in his career," the representative continued.

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

Lamar has yet to issue a statement on the legal matter.