A judge has dismissed Drake's legal claim targeting Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar's track Not Like Us.
Judge the court’s judge determined that Lamar's song lyrics, which accused the artist and his crew of being "certified paedophiles", were "protected opinion" and could not be deemed defamatory.
Drake filed the legal action in early this year, claiming UMG, the record label behind both artists, of defamatory conduct by allowing the track to be released and promoted, stating it disseminated a "untrue and harmful story".
Drake's spokesperson stated he intended to appeal the decision. UMG expressed it was pleased with the result and was looking forward to continuing its work with the musician.
The diss song, which was first dropped in May 2024, was broadly viewed as the final strike in an continuing feud between the competing artists.
It has become the biggest hit of the rapper’s career, having won 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 row between the artists "the most notorious hip-hop feud in the genre's history".
"Both rappers’ series of diss tracks was a 'verbal conflict' that was the focus of substantial media scrutiny and digital debate," the judge noted.
"While the claim that plaintiff is a pedophile is undoubtedly a grave allegation, the broader context of a intense musical rivalry, with provocative remarks and offensive accusations hurled by each artist, would not incline the reasonable listener to believe that 'the track' conveys verifiable facts about the claimant."
She additionally observed that, in an previous track, the artist had "dared Lamar to make the pedophile claims" that appeared in Not Like Us.
On the song his own release, Drake used the synthetic vocals of Tupac Shakur to give Lamar advice 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 lines as 'Hey Drake, I’ve heard you prefer them young' must be evaluated," stated Judge Vargas.
"The parallel in the phrasing suggests strongly that this line is a direct callback to the artist’s own words in the earlier release."
The musician, whose real name is Aubrey Graham, did not sue Lamar in the legal filing.
His lawyers alleged UMG of initiating "an effort to create a viral hit" out of a release that made the "untrue claim that the artist is a convicted predator, and to suggest that the public should turn to vigilante justice in retaliation".
Ruling against Drake, the judge said listeners would not expect "truthful accounts" from a musical attack "filled with profanity, insults, violent implications, and figurative and hyperbolic language."
She pointed out that the rapper himself had used similar language, referencing a line in which the star "strongly" implied that "his opponent is a spouse beater", and another where he "raps that he 'was told' that one of his rival’s children may not be biologically his."
Concerning the track in question, the court said: "Although seemingly factual claims may take on the nature of subjective views... when made in open discourse, intense arguments, or other circumstances in which an listener may anticipate the use of slurs, passionate language or exaggeration."
Reacting to the rejection, a UMG spokesperson said: "From the outset, this case was an affront to every creative and their creative expression and never should have been filed."
"We're pleased with the court's dismissal and look forward to resuming our partnership effectively marketing Drake's music and investing in his career," the spokesperson added.
A spokesperson for the musician said the rapper intended to contest the decision, "and we await the appellate court examining it".
Lamar has yet to comment on the case.
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