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A court official has rejected Drake's legal claim targeting Universal Music Group concerning Kendrick Lamar’s track the diss record.

Judge Jeannette Vargas determined that Lamar's song lyrics, which accused Drake and his crew of being "pedophiles", were "protected opinion" and could not be considered defamatory.

Drake filed the lawsuit in January, accusing UMG, the record label representing the two rappers, of defamatory conduct by permitting the track to be released and promoted, saying it spread a "false and malicious narrative".

The artist’s representative said he planned to appeal the ruling. UMG expressed it was pleased with the outcome and was looking forward to continuing its collaboration with the musician.

Background of the Rap Battle

Not Like Us, which was first dropped in May 2024, was widely seen as the decisive blow 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-talked about highlights of his Super Bowl performance in early 2025.

In a detailed ruling, Judge Vargas called the row between the artists "the most infamous rap battle in the genre's history".

"The artists' series of diss tracks was a 'war of words' that was the subject of substantial media scrutiny and online discourse," the judge wrote.

"Although the accusation that plaintiff is a child predator is undoubtedly a grave allegation, the broader context of a intense musical rivalry, with incendiary language and offensive accusations exchanged by each artist, would not incline the reasonable listener to believe that 'the track' conveys verifiable facts about plaintiff."

She additionally observed that, in an previous track, Drake had "challenged Lamar to make the pedophile claims" that appeared in Not Like Us.

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

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

"The parallel in the wording strongly indicates 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 real name is Aubrey Graham, did not name Lamar in the legal filing.

His legal team accused UMG of launching "an effort to create a popular song" out of a release that made the "false factual allegation that Drake is a criminal paedophile, and to imply that the audience should resort to vigilante justice in response".

Deciding against the plaintiff, the judge said fans would not expect "accurate factual reporting" from a diss track "replete with profanity, trash-talking, threats of violence, and exaggerated statements."

She pointed out that Drake himself had used comparable rhetoric, referencing a lyric in which the star "heavily" suggested that "Lamar is a spouse beater", and another where Drake "raps that he 'was told' that one of his rival’s sons may not be biologically his."

Concerning Lamar's song, the court said: "Although seemingly factual claims may assume the character of subjective views... when made in public debate, heated labour dispute, or similar situations in which an audience may expect the use of epithets, fiery rhetoric or exaggeration."

Responding to the dismissal, a label representative said: "From the beginning, this lawsuit was an affront to all artists and their creative expression and should not have seen the light of day."

"We're pleased with the judge’s ruling and are eager to continuing our partnership successfully promoting the artist’s work and investing in his career," the spokesperson added.

A representative for Drake said the artist intended to contest the decision, "and we look forward to the appellate court examining it".

Lamar has yet to issue a statement on the legal matter.