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A court official has thrown out the rapper Drake’s defamation lawsuit targeting Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar’s song the diss record.

Judge the court’s judge determined that Lamar's song lyrics, which accused Drake and his crew of being "pedophiles", were "nonactionable opinion" and could not be deemed defamatory.

The Canadian rapper filed the legal action in January, accusing UMG, the music company behind the two rappers, of defamatory conduct by permitting the track to be published and marketed, stating it spread a "untrue and harmful story".

Drake's spokesperson stated he intended to appeal the ruling. UMG said it was satisfied with the result and was looking forward to continuing its work with the rapper.

Background of the Rap Battle

The diss song, which was initially released in May 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 the rapper’s career, having received multiple Grammy awards and being one of the most-talked about highlights of his Super Bowl half-time show in early 2025.

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

"The artists' seven-track rap battle was a 'verbal conflict' that was the subject of extensive press coverage and online discourse," the judge noted.

"Although the claim that plaintiff is a pedophile is undoubtedly a grave allegation, the broader context of a intense musical rivalry, with provocative remarks and insulting claims exchanged by each artist, would not lead the reasonable listener to believe that 'Not Like Us' conveys truthful statements about plaintiff."

She also noted that, in an earlier song, the artist had "challenged Lamar to make the pedophile claims" that featured in the diss record.

On the track his own release, Drake used the AI-generated voice of Tupac Shakur to give Lamar advice on how to prevail in the feud.

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

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

"The similarity in the phrasing strongly indicates that this lyric is a clear reference to Drake's lyrics in the prior song."

'A Slap in the Face to Creatives'

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

His legal team accused the label of initiating "an effort to generate a popular song" out of a track that made the "false factual allegation that Drake is a criminal paedophile, and to suggest that the audience should resort to vigilante justice in response".

Ruling against the plaintiff, the judge said listeners would not expect "accurate factual reporting" from a musical attack "replete with vulgar language, insults, violent implications, and figurative and hyperbolic language."

She pointed out that the rapper himself had engaged in comparable rhetoric, referencing a line in which the artist "strongly" implied that "Lamar is a domestic abuser", and another where he "raps that he 'heard' that one of his rival’s sons may not be biologically his."

Concerning the track in question, the court said: "Even apparent statements of fact may take on the nature of statements of opinion... when made in public debate, intense arguments, or similar situations in which an listener may expect the use of slurs, fiery rhetoric or hyperbole."

Responding to the rejection, a UMG representative said: "From the outset, this lawsuit was an affront to every creative and their creative expression and never should have been filed."

"We are satisfied with the court's dismissal and are eager to continuing our partnership successfully marketing the artist’s work and investing in his career," the spokesperson continued.

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

Kendrick Lamar has not yet comment on the legal matter.