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A court official has dismissed Drake's defamation lawsuit against the music corporation over Kendrick Lamar's track the diss record.

Judge Jeannette Vargas decided that the rapper’s song lyrics, which accused Drake and his crew of being "certified paedophiles", were "nonactionable opinion" and could not be considered libelous.

Drake submitted the lawsuit in January, accusing Universal Music Group, the music company behind both artists, of defamation by allowing the song to be released and marketed, saying it spread a "untrue and harmful story".

The artist’s spokesperson said he planned to appeal the decision. Universal Music Group said it was pleased with the result and was eager to resuming its work with the rapper.

Background of the Rap Battle

Not Like Us, which was initially released in spring 2024, was widely seen as the decisive blow in an continuing feud between the rival rappers.

It has emerged as the biggest hit of the rapper’s career, having won multiple Grammy awards and being one of the most-talked about moments of his Super Bowl performance in early 2025.

In a detailed ruling, the judge called the row between the rappers "the most infamous rap battle in the history of rap music".

"The artists' seven-track rap battle was a 'verbal conflict' that was the subject of extensive press coverage and online discourse," the judge noted.

"Although the claim that plaintiff is a pedophile is undoubtedly a serious one, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with provocative remarks and offensive accusations hurled by both participants, would not incline the reasonable listener to believe that 'Not Like Us' conveys verifiable facts about the claimant."

She also noted that, in an previous track, Drake had "dared Lamar to make the pedophile claims" that appeared in the diss record.

On the track his own release, Drake used the synthetic vocals of Tupac Shakur to give Lamar advice on how to prevail in the feud.

"Suggest he has a preference for minors, consider that a tip," the song suggested.

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

"The similarity in the phrasing suggests strongly that this lyric is a clear reference 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 sue his rival in the lawsuit.

His lawyers alleged UMG of launching "an effort to generate a popular song" out of a release that made the "false factual allegation that Drake is a criminal paedophile, and to suggest that the audience should resort to vigilante justice in retaliation".

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

She pointed out that the rapper himself had used similar language, quoting a line in which the artist "heavily" suggested that "Lamar is a spouse beater", and a separate instance where he "claims that he 'was told' that one of his rival’s sons may not be his biological offspring."

Concerning Lamar's song, the court said: "Even apparent statements of fact may take on the nature of statements of opinion... when made in open discourse, intense arguments, or similar situations in which an listener may anticipate the use of slurs, fiery rhetoric or hyperbole."

Responding to the dismissal, a label spokesperson said: "From the beginning, this lawsuit was an insult to all artists and their artistic freedom and should not have seen the light of day."

"We are satisfied with the judge’s ruling and look forward to resuming our work successfully marketing Drake's music and investing in his artistic path," the spokesperson continued.

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

Kendrick Lamar has not yet comment on the case.