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A court official has dismissed the rapper Drake’s defamation lawsuit targeting the music corporation concerning Kendrick Lamar’s track Not Like Us.

Presiding Judge the court’s judge ruled that Lamar's song lyrics, which accused the artist and his crew of being "pedophiles", were "nonactionable opinion" and cannot be deemed libelous.

Drake submitted the lawsuit in early this year, claiming UMG, the record label representing the two rappers, of defamatory conduct by permitting the song to be published and promoted, saying it disseminated a "untrue and harmful story".

The artist’s spokesperson said he intended to challenge the decision. Universal Music Group said it was pleased with the outcome and was eager to continuing its work with the musician.

Background of the Rap Battle

Not Like Us, which was first dropped in spring 2024, was widely seen as the final strike in an ongoing battle between the competing artists.

It has emerged as the most successful track of the rapper’s career, having received five Grammys and being one of the most-discussed highlights of his Super Bowl performance in February.

In a detailed ruling, Judge Vargas called the dispute between the rappers "the most notorious hip-hop feud in the history of rap music".

"The artists' series of diss tracks was a 'verbal conflict' that was the subject of extensive press coverage and digital debate," the judge noted.

"While the claim that plaintiff is a child predator is certainly a grave allegation, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with provocative remarks and insulting claims hurled by both participants, would not lead the reasonable listener to believe that 'Not Like Us' imparts verifiable facts about the claimant."

She also noted that, in an earlier song, the artist had "challenged his rival to make the pedophile claims" that featured in Not Like Us.

On the song Taylor Made Freestyle, Drake used the AI-generated voice of the late rapper to suggest strategies on how to prevail in the feud.

"Talk about him likin' young girls, that's a gift from me," the song suggested.

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

"The parallel in the phrasing suggests strongly that this lyric is a clear reference 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 sue Lamar in the lawsuit.

His legal team alleged the label of launching "a campaign to create a popular song" out of a track that made the "false factual allegation that the artist is a convicted predator, and to imply that the audience should resort to vigilante justice in response".

Ruling against the plaintiff, the judge said listeners would not expect "accurate factual reporting" from a musical attack "filled with profanity, trash-talking, threats of violence, and figurative and hyperbolic language."

She pointed out that Drake himself had engaged in comparable rhetoric, referencing a line in which the star "strongly" implied that "his opponent is a spouse beater", and another where Drake "claims that he 'was told' that one of his rival’s children may not be biologically his."

Concerning Lamar's song, Judge Vargas said: "Even apparent statements of fact may take on the nature of subjective views... when made in open discourse, heated labour dispute, or similar situations in which an listener may anticipate the use of slurs, passionate language or hyperbole."

Responding to the rejection, a label representative said: "From the outset, this lawsuit was an affront 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 effectively marketing the artist’s work and supporting his career," the representative added.

A representative for the musician said the rapper planned to appeal the ruling, "and we look forward to the appellate court examining it".

Lamar has yet to comment on the case.