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A court official has thrown out Drake's defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar’s song Not Like Us.

Presiding Judge the court’s judge determined that Lamar's song lyrics, which accused Drake and his crew of being "pedophiles", were "protected opinion" and cannot be considered libelous.

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

The artist’s spokesperson stated he planned to appeal the decision. Universal Music Group expressed it was satisfied with the result and was looking forward to resuming its work with the rapper.

Context of the Hip-Hop Feud

The diss song, which was initially released 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 Lamar's musical journey, having won five Grammys and being one of the most-discussed highlights of his Super Bowl performance in early 2025.

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

"Both rappers’ seven-track rap battle was a 'verbal conflict' that was the focus of extensive press coverage and digital debate," the court noted.

"While the claim that plaintiff is a child predator is certainly a serious one, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with provocative remarks and offensive accusations exchanged by each artist, would not lead the reasonable listener to believe that 'the track' conveys verifiable facts about plaintiff."

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

On the track his own release, Drake 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 track proposed.

"Against this backdrop in which such lines as 'Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young' must be assessed," stated Judge Vargas.

"The parallel in the phrasing strongly indicates that this line is a clear reference to the artist’s own words in the prior song."

'An Affront to Artists'

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

His lawyers alleged UMG of initiating "an effort to create a popular song" out of a track that made the "untrue claim that Drake is a convicted predator, and to suggest that the public should turn to vigilante justice in retaliation".

Ruling against the plaintiff, the judge said listeners would not expect "truthful accounts" from a diss track "filled with vulgar language, insults, violent implications, and figurative and hyperbolic language."

She pointed out that Drake himself had used comparable rhetoric, quoting a lyric in which the star "strongly" implied that "Lamar is a domestic abuser", and a separate instance where Drake "claims that he 'heard' that one of his rival’s children may not be his biological offspring."

Concerning Lamar's song, the court said: "Even apparent statements of fact 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, passionate language or hyperbole."

Reacting to the dismissal, a UMG representative said: "From the beginning, this lawsuit was an affront to all artists and their artistic freedom and never should have seen the light of day."

"We are satisfied with the court's dismissal and look forward to resuming our work successfully promoting Drake's music and investing in his career," the representative continued.

A spokesperson for the musician said the rapper intended to appeal the ruling, "and we look forward to the Court of Appeals examining it".

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