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A judge has dismissed the rapper Drake’s defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group concerning Kendrick Lamar’s track the diss record.

Presiding Judge the court’s judge decided that Lamar's lyrics, which claimed Drake and his associates of being "certified paedophiles", were "protected opinion" and could not be considered defamatory.

The Canadian rapper submitted the legal action in January, claiming UMG, the record label representing the two rappers, of defamatory conduct by permitting the song to be released and promoted, saying it disseminated a "untrue and harmful story".

Drake's representative said he intended to challenge the decision. Universal Music Group said it was satisfied with the outcome and was looking forward to continuing its work with the musician.

Context of the Hip-Hop Feud

The diss song, which was first dropped in May 2024, was broadly viewed 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 five Grammys and being one of the most-talked about moments of his Super Bowl performance in early 2025.

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

"The artists' series of diss tracks was a 'war of words' that was the focus of extensive press coverage and online discourse," the court noted.

"While the accusation that plaintiff is a child predator is certainly a serious one, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with provocative remarks and insulting claims hurled by each artist, would not incline the reasonable listener to believe that 'Not Like Us' imparts truthful statements about plaintiff."

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

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

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

"The similarity in the wording suggests strongly that this lyric is a direct callback 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 name Lamar in the lawsuit.

His legal team accused UMG of launching "a campaign to generate a viral hit" out of a track that made the "false factual allegation that Drake is a convicted predator, and to suggest that the public should resort to extra-legal action in retaliation".

Ruling against the plaintiff, Judge Vargas said listeners would not expect "truthful accounts" from a diss track "replete with vulgar language, insults, threats of violence, and figurative and hyperbolic language."

She highlighted that Drake himself had engaged in similar language, referencing a line in which the star "heavily" suggested that "Lamar is a spouse beater", and a separate instance where he "raps that he 'was told' that one of his rival’s sons may not be biologically his."

Regarding the track in question, the court said: "Even 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 anticipate the use of slurs, passionate language or hyperbole."

Reacting to the dismissal, a label spokesperson said: "From the outset, this lawsuit was an affront to every creative and their artistic freedom and should not have seen the light of day."

"We are satisfied with the judge’s ruling and look forward to resuming our partnership successfully promoting Drake's music and investing in his artistic path," the spokesperson added.

A representative for Drake said the artist intended to contest the ruling, "and we look forward to the Court of Appeals examining it".

Lamar has not yet comment on the legal matter.