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A judge has rejected Drake's defamation lawsuit against the music corporation concerning Kendrick Lamar’s track Not Like Us.

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

The Canadian rapper filed the legal action in January, accusing Universal Music Group, the music company behind both artists, of defamation by permitting the track to be released and promoted, stating it disseminated a "untrue and harmful story".

Drake's representative said he intended to appeal the ruling. UMG expressed it was satisfied with the outcome and was eager to resuming its work with the musician.

Background of the Hip-Hop Feud

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

It has emerged as the most successful track of the rapper’s career, having received multiple Grammy awards and being one of the most-talked about highlights of his Super Bowl half-time show in early 2025.

In a detailed ruling, Judge Vargas 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 court noted.

"While the accusation that plaintiff is a pedophile is undoubtedly a grave allegation, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with provocative remarks and offensive accusations exchanged by both participants, would not lead the reasonable listener to believe that 'the track' conveys truthful statements about plaintiff."

She additionally observed that, in an previous track, Drake had "dared his rival to make the pedophile claims" that featured in the diss record.

On the track Taylor Made Freestyle, the rapper used the synthetic vocals 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 song proposed.

"It is in this context in which such lines as 'Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young' must be evaluated," stated Judge Vargas.

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

'A Slap in the Face to Creatives'

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

His legal team accused UMG of launching "a campaign to generate a popular song" out of a track that made the "untrue claim that Drake is a criminal paedophile, and to suggest that the audience should resort to vigilante justice in response".

Deciding against the plaintiff, the judge said fans would not expect "truthful accounts" from a diss track "filled with vulgar language, insults, threats of violence, and figurative and hyperbolic language."

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

Concerning the track in question, Judge Vargas said: "Although seemingly factual claims may take on the nature of subjective views... when made in public debate, intense arguments, or similar situations in which an listener may expect the use of slurs, fiery rhetoric or hyperbole."

Reacting to the rejection, a UMG spokesperson said: "From the outset, this case was an affront to all artists and their creative expression and should not have been filed."

"We're pleased with the judge’s ruling and are eager to continuing our work successfully promoting the artist’s work and supporting his artistic path," the representative added.

A spokesperson for the musician said the artist planned to contest the decision, "and we await the appellate court reviewing it".

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