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A court official has dismissed Drake's defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar’s song the diss record.

Presiding Judge the court’s judge decided that Lamar's lyrics, which claimed the artist and his associates of being "pedophiles", were "protected opinion" and could not be considered defamatory.

The Canadian rapper submitted the lawsuit in early this year, claiming Universal Music Group, the music company representing both artists, of defamatory conduct by allowing the track to be released and promoted, stating it spread a "false and malicious narrative".

The artist’s representative said he intended to appeal the ruling. UMG said it was satisfied with the result and was looking forward to continuing its work with the musician.

Context of the Hip-Hop Feud

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

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

In a 38-page order, Judge Vargas called the dispute between the rappers "the most infamous rap battle in the history of rap music".

"The artists' series of diss tracks was a 'war of words' that was the focus of extensive press coverage and online discourse," the judge wrote.

"Although the claim that plaintiff is a child predator is certainly a serious one, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with incendiary language and offensive accusations exchanged by both participants, would not incline the reasonable listener to believe that 'Not Like Us' conveys verifiable facts about plaintiff."

She additionally observed that, in an earlier song, Drake had "challenged his rival to make the paedophilia accusations" that featured in the diss record.

On the track his own release, Drake used the AI-generated voice of the late rapper 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.

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

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

'A Slap in the Face to Creatives'

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

His legal team alleged the label of launching "an effort to create a popular song" out of a track that made the "untrue claim that Drake is a criminal paedophile, and to suggest that the audience should turn to extra-legal action in response".

Deciding against the plaintiff, Judge Vargas said listeners would not expect "accurate factual reporting" from a diss track "filled with vulgar language, trash-talking, threats of violence, and figurative and hyperbolic language."

She highlighted that Drake himself had used similar language, quoting a lyric in which the star "strongly" implied that "his opponent is a domestic abuser", and a separate instance where he "claims that he 'was told' that one of Lamar's children may not be his biological offspring."

Concerning the track in question, Judge Vargas said: "Although seemingly factual claims may take on the nature of statements of opinion... when made in open discourse, intense arguments, or other circumstances in which an audience may anticipate the use of slurs, fiery rhetoric or hyperbole."

Reacting to the rejection, a label representative said: "From the outset, this case was an insult to every creative and their artistic freedom and should not have seen the light of day."

"We are satisfied with the court's dismissal and are eager to continuing our work effectively marketing Drake's music and supporting his career," the spokesperson continued.

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

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