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A court official has thrown out the rapper Drake’s defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group concerning Kendrick Lamar's track Not Like Us.

Judge the court’s judge ruled that the rapper’s song lyrics, which accused Drake and his associates of being "certified paedophiles", were "protected opinion" and could not be deemed libelous.

The Canadian rapper filed the lawsuit in January, claiming UMG, the music company behind the two rappers, of defamation by permitting the song to be released and promoted, saying it disseminated a "false and malicious narrative".

The artist’s spokesperson stated he intended to challenge the ruling. UMG expressed it was satisfied with the outcome and was looking forward to continuing its collaboration with the rapper.

Background of the Hip-Hop Feud

Not Like Us, which was first dropped in May 2024, was widely seen as the final strike in an ongoing battle between the competing artists.

It has emerged as the biggest hit of the rapper’s musical journey, having won five Grammys and being one of the most-talked about moments of his Super Bowl half-time show in February.

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

"Both rappers’ seven-track rap battle was a 'war of words' that was the subject of substantial media scrutiny and digital debate," the judge noted.

"While the accusation that plaintiff is a child predator is undoubtedly a grave allegation, the wider backdrop of a heated rap battle, with incendiary language and offensive accusations hurled by each artist, would not incline the average audience to believe that 'Not Like Us' imparts verifiable facts about plaintiff."

She also noted that, in an previous track, the artist had "challenged Lamar to make the paedophilia accusations" that featured in Not Like Us.

On the song his own release, 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 proposed.

"Against this backdrop in which such lyrics as 'Hey Drake, I’ve heard you prefer them young' must be evaluated," wrote Judge Vargas.

"The parallel in the wording strongly indicates that this line is a direct callback 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 legal filing.

His legal team alleged UMG of launching "a campaign to generate a popular song" out of a release that made the "false factual allegation that Drake is a criminal paedophile, and to suggest that the public should resort to extra-legal action in response".

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

She pointed out that Drake himself had engaged in comparable rhetoric, referencing a lyric in which the star "strongly" implied that "Lamar is a spouse beater", and another where Drake "claims that he 'was told' 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 assume the character of subjective views... when made in public debate, heated labour dispute, or similar situations in which an listener may anticipate the use of epithets, passionate language or exaggeration."

Responding to the rejection, a UMG spokesperson said: "From the outset, this case was an insult to every creative and their creative expression and never should have been filed."

"We're pleased with the court's dismissal and are eager to continuing our work successfully promoting Drake's music and supporting his artistic path," the representative continued.

A representative for Drake said the artist intended to appeal the decision, "and we await the Court of Appeals reviewing it".

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