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A court official has dismissed the rapper Drake’s legal claim targeting the music corporation over Kendrick Lamar's track Not Like Us.

Judge Jeannette Vargas ruled that the rapper’s lyrics, which claimed the artist and his associates of being "pedophiles", were "protected opinion" and cannot be considered defamatory.

Drake filed the lawsuit in early this year, claiming Universal Music Group, the music company representing both artists, of defamation by permitting the track to be published and promoted, stating it disseminated a "false and malicious narrative".

Drake's spokesperson stated he intended to appeal the decision. Universal Music Group expressed it was satisfied with the result and was looking forward to continuing its work with the musician.

Context of the Rap Battle

Not Like Us, which was initially released in spring 2024, was widely seen as the decisive blow in an ongoing battle between the competing artists.

It has emerged as the most successful track of Lamar's musical journey, having won multiple Grammy awards 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 rappers "the most notorious hip-hop feud in the history of rap music".

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

"While the claim that plaintiff is a child predator is undoubtedly a grave allegation, the wider backdrop of a intense musical rivalry, with provocative remarks and insulting claims exchanged by each artist, would not incline the reasonable listener to believe that 'Not Like Us' conveys truthful statements about the claimant."

She also noted that, in an previous track, the artist had "dared his rival to make the pedophile claims" that featured in Not Like Us.

On the track his own release, the rapper used the AI-generated voice of Tupac Shakur to suggest strategies 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 lyrics as 'Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young' must be assessed," wrote the court.

"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'

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

His lawyers alleged UMG of initiating "an effort to generate a popular song" out of a release that made the "untrue claim that Drake is a criminal paedophile, and to suggest that the audience should turn to vigilante justice in response".

Deciding against Drake, Judge Vargas said listeners would not expect "truthful accounts" from a musical attack "filled with profanity, trash-talking, violent implications, and figurative and hyperbolic language."

She pointed out that Drake himself had engaged in comparable rhetoric, referencing a lyric in which the star "strongly" suggested that "his opponent 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."

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, intense arguments, or similar situations in which an listener may expect the use of slurs, fiery rhetoric or hyperbole."

Responding to the dismissal, a UMG spokesperson said: "From the outset, this lawsuit was an insult to all artists and their artistic freedom and should not have been filed."

"We are satisfied with the court's dismissal and look forward to resuming our partnership effectively promoting Drake's music and supporting his artistic path," the spokesperson continued.

A spokesperson for Drake said the rapper planned to contest the ruling, "and we await the appellate court examining it".

Lamar has not yet comment on the legal matter.