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A court official has thrown out the rapper Drake’s legal claim against the music corporation concerning Kendrick Lamar's track Not Like Us.

Presiding Judge the court’s judge decided that Lamar's song lyrics, which claimed Drake and his associates of being "certified paedophiles", were "protected opinion" and cannot be deemed libelous.

The Canadian rapper filed the lawsuit in January, accusing UMG, the record label behind the two rappers, of defamatory conduct by allowing the track to be published and promoted, stating it disseminated a "untrue and harmful story".

The artist’s representative said he intended to appeal the ruling. UMG expressed it was pleased with the result and was looking forward to resuming its work with the rapper.

Background of the Rap Battle

The diss song, which was first dropped in May 2024, was broadly viewed as the final strike in an ongoing battle between the competing artists.

It has become 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 February.

In a detailed ruling, the judge called the dispute between the artists "the most infamous rap battle in the history of rap music".

"Both rappers’ seven-track rap battle was a 'verbal conflict' 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 intense musical rivalry, with provocative remarks and offensive accusations exchanged by each artist, would not incline the average audience to believe that 'Not Like Us' conveys verifiable facts about plaintiff."

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

On the song his own release, the rapper used the AI-generated voice of the late rapper to give Lamar advice on how to win the rap battle.

"Suggest he has a preference for minors, consider that a tip," the track proposed.

"It is in this context in which such lines as 'Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young' must be evaluated," wrote Judge Vargas.

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

'A Slap in the Face to Creatives'

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

His legal team accused the label of initiating "an effort to generate a viral hit" out of a release that made the "untrue claim that Drake is a criminal paedophile, and to suggest that the audience should turn to vigilante justice in response".

Deciding against Drake, Judge Vargas said fans would not expect "truthful accounts" from a musical attack "filled with profanity, insults, violent implications, and exaggerated statements."

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

Regarding the track in question, Judge Vargas said: "Although apparent statements of fact may assume the character of statements of opinion... when made in open discourse, intense arguments, or similar situations in which an audience may anticipate the use of slurs, passionate language or exaggeration."

Reacting to the dismissal, a UMG spokesperson said: "From the beginning, this lawsuit was an affront to all artists and their creative expression and should not have seen the light of day."

"We are satisfied with the judge’s ruling and look forward to resuming our work successfully marketing the artist’s work and supporting his artistic path," the representative continued.

A spokesperson for Drake said the artist planned to contest the decision, "and we look forward to the appellate court examining it".

Lamar has yet to comment on the case.