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A court official has dismissed the rapper Drake’s defamation lawsuit against the music corporation over Kendrick Lamar's track the diss record.

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

Drake submitted the legal action in early this year, accusing UMG, the music company behind the two rappers, of defamatory conduct by allowing the track to be published and promoted, saying it disseminated a "false and malicious narrative".

Drake's spokesperson said he planned to appeal the decision. UMG expressed it was pleased with the result and was looking forward to resuming its work with the rapper.

Context of the Rap Battle

Not Like Us, which was first dropped in spring 2024, was widely seen as the decisive blow in an ongoing battle between the rival rappers.

It has become the most successful track of the rapper’s career, having received five Grammys and being one of the most-discussed moments of his Super Bowl performance in February.

In a detailed ruling, the judge called the row between the rappers "the most infamous rap battle in the genre's history".

"Both rappers’ series of diss tracks was a 'verbal conflict' that was the subject of extensive press coverage and online discourse," the court noted.

"Although the accusation that Drake is a pedophile is certainly a grave allegation, the wider backdrop of a heated rap battle, with incendiary language and insulting claims exchanged by each artist, would not incline the reasonable listener to believe that 'Not Like Us' imparts verifiable facts about plaintiff."

She additionally observed that, in an earlier song, the artist had "challenged his rival to make the paedophilia accusations" that appeared in Not Like Us.

On the song his own release, the rapper used the AI-generated voice of Tupac Shakur to suggest strategies on how to prevail in the feud.

"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 evaluated," stated the court.

"The parallel in the phrasing strongly indicates that this line is a clear reference to the artist’s own words in the earlier release."

'An Affront to Artists'

The musician, whose legal name is Aubrey Drake Graham, did not sue his rival in the legal filing.

His lawyers accused UMG of launching "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 public should resort to extra-legal action in retaliation".

Deciding against the plaintiff, the judge said fans would not expect "truthful accounts" from a diss track "filled with vulgar language, trash-talking, threats of violence, and figurative and hyperbolic language."

She pointed out that Drake himself had used comparable rhetoric, referencing a lyric in which the star "strongly" suggested that "his opponent is a domestic abuser", and a separate instance where Drake "claims that he 'heard' that one of his rival’s sons may not be his biological offspring."

Concerning the track in question, the court said: "Even seemingly factual claims may assume the character of statements of opinion... when made in public debate, heated labour dispute, or similar situations in which an audience may expect the use of slurs, fiery rhetoric or hyperbole."

Reacting to the rejection, a label representative said: "From the beginning, this case was an insult to all artists and their artistic freedom and should not have seen the light of day."

"We are satisfied with the judge’s ruling and are eager to continuing our work successfully marketing Drake's music and investing in his career," the representative added.

A representative for the musician said the artist intended to appeal the ruling, "and we look forward to the appellate court examining it".

Lamar has yet to comment on the case.