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

Judge the court’s judge decided that the rapper’s song lyrics, which accused the artist and his crew of being "pedophiles", were "protected opinion" and cannot be deemed defamatory.

Drake submitted the legal action in January, accusing UMG, the music company behind both artists, of defamation by permitting the track to be released and marketed, saying it spread a "false and malicious narrative".

Drake's representative stated he planned to appeal the ruling. UMG said it was pleased with the outcome and was looking forward to continuing its work with the musician.

Context of the Rap Battle

The diss song, which was first dropped in spring 2024, was broadly viewed as the final strike in an continuing feud between the rival rappers.

It has become the biggest hit of the rapper’s career, having won multiple Grammy awards and being one of the most-talked about moments of his Super Bowl half-time show in early 2025.

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

"The artists' seven-track rap battle was a 'war of words' that was the focus of extensive press coverage and digital debate," the court noted.

"While the accusation that plaintiff is a pedophile is undoubtedly a serious one, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with provocative remarks and insulting claims hurled by both participants, would not incline the average audience to believe that 'the track' conveys truthful statements about the claimant."

She also noted that, in an previous track, the artist had "challenged Lamar to make the pedophile claims" that appeared in Not Like Us.

On the track Taylor Made Freestyle, the rapper used the synthetic vocals of the late rapper to suggest strategies on how to prevail in the feud.

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

"Against this backdrop in which such lyrics as 'Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young' must be assessed," stated Judge Vargas.

"The similarity in the wording strongly indicates that this line is a direct callback to the artist’s own words in the prior song."

'An Affront to Artists'

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

His legal team accused UMG of launching "an effort to create a viral hit" out of a release that made the "untrue claim that the artist is a criminal paedophile, and to imply that the public should resort to extra-legal action in response".

Deciding against Drake, Judge Vargas said listeners would not expect "accurate factual reporting" from a musical attack "replete with profanity, insults, threats of violence, and exaggerated statements."

She highlighted that Drake himself had used similar language, quoting a lyric in which the artist "heavily" implied that "his opponent is a spouse beater", and another where he "claims that he 'heard' that one of his rival’s sons may not be biologically his."

Concerning Lamar's song, the court said: "Although seemingly factual claims may assume the character of subjective views... when made in public debate, heated labour dispute, or similar situations in which an listener may expect the use of epithets, passionate language or exaggeration."

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

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

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

Kendrick Lamar has not yet issue a statement on the case.