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A judge has rejected the rapper Drake’s defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar’s track the diss record.

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

Drake filed the legal action in January, claiming Universal Music Group, the music company representing the two rappers, of defamation by allowing the track to be published and marketed, saying it spread a "false and malicious narrative".

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

Background of the Hip-Hop Feud

Not Like Us, which was initially released in May 2024, was widely seen as the final strike 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-talked about moments of his Super Bowl half-time show in February.

In a detailed ruling, Judge Vargas called the row between the artists "the most notorious hip-hop feud in the genre's history".

"Both rappers’ series of diss tracks was a 'war of words' that was the subject of substantial media scrutiny and digital debate," the judge noted.

"Although the claim that Drake is a child predator is certainly a grave allegation, the broader context of a intense musical rivalry, with incendiary language and insulting claims hurled by both participants, would not lead the average audience to believe that 'the track' imparts truthful statements about plaintiff."

She additionally observed that, in an earlier song, the artist had "dared his rival to make the pedophile claims" that appeared in Not Like Us.

On the track Taylor Made Freestyle, the rapper used the AI-generated voice of the late rapper to give Lamar advice on how to win the rap battle.

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

"It is in this context in which such lines as 'Hey Drake, I’ve heard you prefer them young' must be assessed," stated the court.

"The similarity in the phrasing suggests strongly that this lyric is a direct callback to the artist’s own words in the earlier release."

'A Slap in the Face to Creatives'

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

His lawyers alleged the label of initiating "a campaign to generate a viral hit" out of a track that made the "false factual allegation that Drake is a convicted predator, and to imply that the public should turn to vigilante justice in response".

Ruling against the plaintiff, the judge said listeners would not expect "accurate factual reporting" from a musical attack "filled with profanity, trash-talking, violent implications, and figurative and hyperbolic language."

She highlighted that the rapper himself had engaged in comparable rhetoric, quoting a lyric in which the artist "strongly" implied 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 Lamar's song, the court said: "Although seemingly factual claims may assume the character of subjective views... when made in public debate, intense arguments, or other circumstances in which an audience may expect the use of slurs, fiery rhetoric or hyperbole."

Reacting to the rejection, a label representative said: "From the outset, this lawsuit was an affront to all artists and their artistic freedom and should not have seen the light of day."

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

A representative for the musician said the rapper intended to contest the ruling, "and we look forward to the Court of Appeals reviewing it".

Kendrick Lamar has not yet issue a statement on the legal matter.