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A court official has rejected the rapper Drake’s defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar’s song Not Like Us.

Presiding Judge Jeannette Vargas determined that Lamar's song lyrics, which accused Drake and his associates of being "certified paedophiles", were "nonactionable opinion" and could not be deemed defamatory.

The Canadian rapper submitted the lawsuit in January, accusing Universal Music Group, the music company representing both artists, of defamatory conduct by permitting the track to be published and marketed, saying it spread a "false and malicious narrative".

Drake's representative said he intended to challenge the ruling. Universal Music Group expressed it was satisfied with the result and was looking forward to continuing its work with the musician.

Background of the Rap Battle

Not Like Us, which was first dropped in May 2024, was broadly viewed as the final strike in an ongoing battle between the rival rappers.

It has become the biggest hit of the rapper’s musical journey, having won five Grammys and being one of the most-discussed highlights of his Super Bowl half-time show in early 2025.

In a 38-page order, Judge Vargas called the row between the rappers "the most notorious hip-hop feud in the genre's history".

"The artists' seven-track rap battle was a 'war of words' that was the subject of substantial media scrutiny and online discourse," the judge noted.

"Although the claim that Drake is a child predator is undoubtedly a serious one, the wider backdrop of a intense musical rivalry, with incendiary language and insulting claims exchanged by each artist, would not lead the average audience to believe that 'Not Like Us' imparts verifiable facts about the claimant."

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

On the song 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.

"Against this backdrop in which such lyrics as 'Hey Drake, I’ve heard you prefer them young' must be evaluated," wrote the court.

"The similarity in the wording strongly indicates that this line is a direct callback to Drake's lyrics in the earlier release."

'A Slap in the Face to Creatives'

Drake, whose real name is Aubrey Graham, did not name his rival in the lawsuit.

His lawyers alleged UMG of initiating "an effort to create a viral hit" out of a track that made the "untrue claim that the artist is a criminal paedophile, and to imply that the audience should resort to vigilante justice in response".

Deciding against the plaintiff, Judge Vargas said listeners would not expect "accurate factual reporting" from a musical attack "replete with profanity, insults, threats of violence, and figurative and hyperbolic language."

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

Concerning the track in question, the court said: "Even seemingly factual claims may assume the character of statements of opinion... when made in open discourse, heated labour dispute, or similar situations in which an listener may expect the use of epithets, passionate language or hyperbole."

Responding to the dismissal, a label spokesperson said: "From the outset, this lawsuit was an insult to every creative and their creative expression and should not have been filed."

"We are satisfied with the judge’s ruling and look forward to continuing our work successfully promoting Drake's music and investing in his career," the spokesperson continued.

A representative for the musician said the artist intended to contest the ruling, "and we await the appellate court examining it".

Kendrick Lamar has yet to comment on the case.