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A judge has thrown out Drake's legal claim against the music corporation over Kendrick Lamar’s track Not Like Us.

Judge the court’s judge ruled that Lamar's song lyrics, which accused the artist and his associates of being "certified paedophiles", were "nonactionable opinion" and could not be considered libelous.

Drake submitted the legal action in early this year, claiming UMG, the record label representing the two rappers, of defamatory conduct by permitting the song to be published and marketed, stating it spread a "false and malicious narrative".

Drake's spokesperson stated he planned to appeal the ruling. UMG expressed it was pleased with the result and was eager to continuing its collaboration with the musician.

Background of the Hip-Hop Feud

The diss song, which was first dropped in May 2024, was widely seen as the final strike in an ongoing battle between the competing artists.

It has emerged as the biggest hit of Lamar's career, having received multiple Grammy awards 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 row between the rappers "the most notorious hip-hop feud in the genre's history".

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

"While the accusation that Drake is a child predator is certainly a serious one, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with provocative remarks and offensive accusations exchanged by both participants, 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 "dared Lamar to make the paedophilia accusations" that featured in the diss record.

On the song Taylor Made Freestyle, the rapper used the synthetic vocals of Tupac Shakur to suggest strategies on how to win the rap battle.

"Suggest he has a preference for minors, consider that a tip," the song proposed.

"Against this backdrop in which such lyrics as 'Hey Drake, I’ve heard you prefer them young' must be assessed," wrote Judge Vargas.

"The similarity in the phrasing strongly indicates that this lyric is a direct callback to Drake's lyrics in the earlier release."

'A Slap in the Face to Creatives'

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

His legal team alleged UMG of initiating "an effort to generate a popular song" 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 extra-legal action in retaliation".

Deciding against the plaintiff, the judge said listeners would not expect "accurate factual reporting" from a diss track "filled with profanity, insults, violent implications, and exaggerated statements."

She highlighted that Drake himself had used comparable rhetoric, quoting a lyric in which the artist "heavily" implied that "his opponent is a domestic abuser", and another where he "claims that he 'heard' that one of Lamar's children may not be his biological offspring."

Regarding Lamar's song, the court said: "Although apparent statements of fact may take on the nature of subjective views... when made in public debate, intense arguments, or other circumstances in which an audience may expect the use of epithets, passionate language 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 court's dismissal and look forward to resuming our work effectively marketing the artist’s work and investing in his career," the representative continued.

A spokesperson for Drake said the artist intended to appeal the ruling, "and we await the Court of Appeals examining it".

Kendrick Lamar has not yet issue a statement on the case.