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A court official has dismissed the rapper Drake’s legal claim against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar’s track Not Like Us.

Presiding Judge the court’s judge decided that the rapper’s lyrics, which claimed Drake and his crew of being "certified paedophiles", were "nonactionable opinion" and cannot be considered libelous.

Drake submitted the legal action in early this year, claiming Universal Music Group, the music company representing the two rappers, of defamatory conduct by allowing the track to be released and marketed, saying it spread a "false and malicious narrative".

The artist’s spokesperson stated he intended to appeal the decision. UMG expressed it was pleased with the result and was eager to continuing its work with the musician.

Background of the Rap Battle

The diss song, which was first dropped in spring 2024, was broadly viewed as the decisive blow in an continuing feud between the rival rappers.

It has emerged as the most successful track of Lamar's musical journey, having won five Grammys and being one of the most-discussed moments of his Super Bowl half-time show in February.

In a detailed ruling, the judge called the dispute between the artists "the most notorious hip-hop feud in the genre's history".

"Both rappers’ seven-track rap battle was a 'verbal conflict' that was the focus of extensive press coverage and online discourse," the judge wrote.

"Although the accusation that plaintiff is a pedophile is certainly a serious one, the wider backdrop of a heated rap battle, with incendiary language and insulting claims hurled by both participants, would not incline the reasonable listener to believe that 'the track' conveys truthful statements about plaintiff."

She also noted that, in an previous track, the artist had "dared his rival to make the paedophilia accusations" that featured in the diss record.

On the track Taylor Made Freestyle, Drake used the AI-generated voice of Tupac Shakur 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.

"It is in this context in which such lyrics as 'Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young' must be evaluated," stated the court.

"The parallel in the phrasing strongly indicates that this lyric is a direct callback to Drake's lyrics in the prior song."

'An Affront to Artists'

The musician, whose legal name is Aubrey Drake Graham, did not name Lamar in the lawsuit.

His legal team accused UMG of initiating "a campaign to generate a viral hit" out of a release that made the "untrue claim that the artist is a criminal paedophile, and to suggest that the audience should resort to vigilante justice in retaliation".

Ruling against Drake, the judge said fans would not expect "truthful accounts" from a musical attack "replete with profanity, insults, threats of violence, and figurative and hyperbolic language."

She highlighted that Drake himself had used similar language, referencing a line in which the star "heavily" implied that "his opponent is a domestic abuser", and a separate instance where Drake "raps that he 'heard' that one of Lamar's children may not be biologically his."

Regarding the track in question, Judge Vargas said: "Although seemingly factual claims may take on the nature of statements of opinion... when made in open discourse, heated labour dispute, or other circumstances in which an audience may expect the use of slurs, fiery rhetoric or exaggeration."

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

"We are satisfied with the judge’s ruling and are eager to resuming our work effectively marketing Drake's music and supporting his artistic path," the representative continued.

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

Lamar has not yet issue a statement on the legal matter.