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A judge has rejected Drake's defamation lawsuit against the music corporation concerning 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 "protected opinion" and cannot be deemed libelous.

Drake filed the lawsuit in early this year, claiming UMG, the record label behind the two rappers, of defamation by permitting the song to be released and marketed, stating it disseminated a "false and malicious narrative".

The artist’s representative stated he planned to challenge the decision. UMG said it was satisfied with the result and was eager to continuing its work with the musician.

Context of the Hip-Hop Feud

Not Like Us, which was initially released in spring 2024, was broadly viewed as the final strike in an ongoing battle between the rival rappers.

It has emerged as the biggest hit of Lamar's career, having won multiple Grammy awards and being one of the most-talked about highlights of his Super Bowl performance in early 2025.

In a detailed ruling, the judge called the dispute between the rappers "the most notorious hip-hop feud in the history of rap music".

"Both rappers’ series of diss tracks was a 'war of words' that was the subject of substantial media scrutiny and digital debate," the court wrote.

"Although the claim that plaintiff is a pedophile is undoubtedly a grave allegation, the wider backdrop of a intense musical rivalry, with incendiary language and offensive accusations exchanged by each artist, would not incline the average audience to believe that 'Not Like Us' imparts truthful statements about plaintiff."

She additionally observed that, in an earlier song, Drake had "challenged Lamar to make the pedophile claims" that appeared in Not Like Us.

On the track Taylor Made Freestyle, the rapper used the AI-generated voice of Tupac Shakur to give Lamar advice on how to win the rap battle.

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

"Against this backdrop in which such lines as 'Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young' must be assessed," wrote the court.

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

'A Slap in the Face to Creatives'

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

His legal team accused the label of initiating "a campaign to generate a viral hit" out of a track that made the "untrue claim that Drake is a criminal paedophile, and to suggest that the public should resort to vigilante justice in retaliation".

Ruling against Drake, the judge said listeners would not expect "accurate factual reporting" from a musical attack "filled with profanity, trash-talking, threats of violence, and exaggerated statements."

She highlighted that Drake himself had engaged in similar language, quoting a lyric in which the star "heavily" suggested that "his opponent is a spouse beater", and a separate instance where Drake "raps that he 'heard' that one of his rival’s children may not be his biological offspring."

Regarding Lamar's song, Judge Vargas said: "Even apparent statements of fact may take on the nature of subjective views... when made in open discourse, intense arguments, or similar situations in which an audience may anticipate the use of epithets, passionate language or hyperbole."

Responding to the dismissal, a UMG spokesperson said: "From the beginning, this lawsuit was an affront to all artists and their artistic freedom and should not have been filed."

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

A representative for Drake said the rapper intended to contest the decision, "and we await the appellate court examining it".

Kendrick Lamar has yet to issue a statement on the legal matter.