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A court official has thrown out Drake's legal claim against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar's song Not Like Us.

Presiding Judge Jeannette Vargas decided that Lamar's lyrics, which claimed the artist and his associates of being "pedophiles", were "protected opinion" and cannot be considered defamatory.

Drake filed the lawsuit in early this year, accusing Universal Music Group, the music company representing the two rappers, of defamatory conduct by allowing the track to be published and promoted, stating it disseminated a "false and malicious narrative".

The artist’s representative said he intended to challenge the decision. UMG expressed it was satisfied with the outcome and was looking forward to resuming its collaboration with the musician.

Context of the Hip-Hop Feud

Not Like Us, which was initially released in May 2024, was broadly viewed as the decisive blow in an ongoing battle between the rival rappers.

It has emerged as the most successful track of the rapper’s musical journey, having won multiple Grammy awards and being one of the most-discussed moments of his Super Bowl performance in early 2025.

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

"Both rappers’ seven-track rap battle 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 pedophile is certainly a grave allegation, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with incendiary language and insulting claims hurled by both participants, would not incline the average audience to believe that 'Not Like Us' conveys truthful statements about the claimant."

She also noted that, in an previous track, Drake had "dared his rival to make the paedophilia accusations" that featured in Not Like Us.

On the track Taylor Made Freestyle, the rapper used the AI-generated voice of the late rapper to give Lamar advice on how to prevail in the feud.

"Talk about him likin' young girls, that's a gift from me," the song proposed.

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

"The similarity in the phrasing suggests strongly that this lyric is a direct callback to Drake's lyrics in the prior song."

'An Affront to Artists'

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

His legal team accused the label of initiating "a campaign to generate a popular song" out of a release that made the "untrue claim that Drake is a criminal paedophile, and to imply that the public should turn to extra-legal action in retaliation".

Deciding against the plaintiff, Judge Vargas said listeners would not expect "accurate factual reporting" from a diss track "filled with vulgar language, insults, violent implications, and figurative and hyperbolic language."

She highlighted that the rapper himself had used similar language, quoting a line in which the star "heavily" implied that "Lamar is a spouse beater", and another where Drake "claims that he 'heard' that one of Lamar's children may not be his biological offspring."

Concerning 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 similar situations in which an listener may anticipate the use of epithets, passionate language or exaggeration."

Responding to the rejection, a UMG representative said: "From the beginning, this lawsuit was an affront to all artists and their artistic freedom and never should have seen the light of day."

"We are satisfied with the judge’s ruling and are eager to resuming our partnership effectively promoting the artist’s work and investing in his career," the spokesperson continued.

A representative for Drake said the artist planned to contest the decision, "and we look forward to the Court of Appeals reviewing it".

Lamar has not yet comment on the case.