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A judge has thrown out the rapper Drake’s defamation lawsuit against the music corporation over Kendrick Lamar's track the diss record.

Judge the court’s judge determined that the rapper’s song lyrics, which claimed Drake and his associates of being "certified paedophiles", were "nonactionable opinion" and cannot be deemed libelous.

Drake submitted the lawsuit in early this year, accusing Universal Music Group, the music company behind both artists, of defamatory conduct by allowing the track to be published and marketed, stating it spread a "untrue and harmful story".

The artist’s representative stated he planned to appeal the decision. UMG said it was pleased with the outcome and was eager to resuming its collaboration with the rapper.

Background of the Rap Battle

Not Like Us, which was first dropped in May 2024, was broadly viewed as the decisive blow in an continuing feud between the competing artists.

It has become the most successful track of Lamar's musical journey, having received multiple Grammy awards and being one of the most-discussed highlights of his Super Bowl performance in February.

In a 38-page order, the judge called the dispute between the artists "the most infamous rap battle in the history of rap music".

"Both rappers’ series of diss tracks 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 pedophile is certainly a serious one, the wider backdrop of a intense musical rivalry, with incendiary language and offensive accusations hurled by each artist, would not lead the reasonable listener to believe that 'the track' conveys truthful statements about the claimant."

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

On the track his own release, Drake used the AI-generated voice of Tupac Shakur 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 suggested.

"Against this backdrop in which such lines as 'Hey Drake, I’ve heard you prefer them young' must be assessed," wrote Judge Vargas.

"The parallel in the wording suggests strongly that this lyric is a direct callback to the artist’s own words in the prior song."

'A Slap in the Face to Creatives'

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

His legal team alleged UMG of launching "a campaign to create a popular song" out of a release that made the "untrue claim that Drake is a criminal paedophile, and to imply that the audience should turn to vigilante justice in retaliation".

Deciding against Drake, the judge said listeners would not expect "accurate factual reporting" from a musical attack "replete with vulgar language, insults, threats of violence, and exaggerated statements."

She highlighted that the rapper himself had used comparable rhetoric, quoting a lyric in which the artist "heavily" suggested that "Lamar is a domestic abuser", and another where Drake "claims that he 'was told' that one of his rival’s children may not be biologically his."

Regarding Lamar's song, the court said: "Even seemingly factual claims may take on the nature of statements of opinion... when made in open discourse, intense arguments, or other circumstances in which an listener may expect the use of epithets, fiery rhetoric or hyperbole."

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

"We are satisfied with the court's dismissal and are eager to resuming our partnership successfully marketing Drake's music and supporting his career," the representative continued.

A spokesperson for Drake said the artist intended to appeal the ruling, "and we look forward to the appellate court reviewing it".

Lamar has not yet comment on the legal matter.