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A judge has dismissed the rapper Drake’s legal claim targeting Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar's track Not Like Us.

Presiding Judge the court’s judge ruled that the rapper’s song lyrics, which claimed the artist and his crew of being "pedophiles", were "nonactionable opinion" and could not be deemed libelous.

Drake submitted the legal action in early this year, claiming Universal Music Group, the music company representing both artists, of defamation by permitting the song to be published and marketed, saying it disseminated a "untrue and harmful story".

Drake's spokesperson stated he intended to appeal the ruling. Universal Music Group said it was satisfied with the result and was eager to resuming its work with the rapper.

Context of the Hip-Hop Feud

The diss song, which was first dropped in spring 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 musical journey, having received five Grammys and being one of the most-discussed moments of his Super Bowl performance in early 2025.

In a 38-page order, the judge called the row between the artists "the most notorious hip-hop feud in the genre's history".

"The artists' seven-track rap battle was a 'war of words' that was the subject of extensive press coverage and online discourse," the court wrote.

"While the claim that plaintiff is a pedophile is undoubtedly a serious one, the wider backdrop of a heated rap battle, with provocative remarks and insulting claims hurled by both participants, would not lead the reasonable listener to believe that 'Not Like Us' imparts verifiable facts about the claimant."

She also noted that, in an previous track, the artist had "dared his rival to make the pedophile claims" that featured in the diss record.

On the track Taylor Made Freestyle, Drake 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 suggested.

"It is in this context in which such lyrics as 'Hey Drake, I’ve heard you prefer them young' must be evaluated," wrote the court.

"The similarity in the wording strongly indicates that this lyric is a clear reference to Drake's lyrics in the earlier release."

'An Affront to Artists'

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

His lawyers alleged UMG of initiating "a campaign to generate a viral hit" out of a track that made the "untrue claim that Drake is a convicted predator, and to imply that the public should turn to vigilante justice in response".

Deciding against the plaintiff, the judge said listeners would not expect "truthful accounts" from a diss track "replete with profanity, trash-talking, violent implications, and figurative and hyperbolic language."

She highlighted that the rapper himself had engaged in similar language, referencing a line in which the star "strongly" suggested that "Lamar is a domestic abuser", and another where Drake "claims that he 'was told' that one of his rival’s children may not be his biological offspring."

Concerning the track in question, Judge Vargas said: "Even seemingly factual claims may assume the character of subjective views... when made in open discourse, heated labour dispute, or similar situations in which an audience may anticipate the use of slurs, fiery rhetoric or hyperbole."

Responding to the dismissal, a label representative said: "From the outset, this case was an insult to all artists and their artistic freedom and should not have been filed."

"We are satisfied with the judge’s ruling and look forward to resuming our work effectively marketing Drake's music and investing in his artistic path," the representative added.

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

Kendrick Lamar has not yet issue a statement on the legal matter.