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A judge has rejected the rapper Drake’s legal claim against the music corporation over Kendrick Lamar's song the diss record.

Judge Jeannette Vargas decided that the rapper’s song lyrics, which accused the artist and his crew of being "certified paedophiles", were "protected opinion" and cannot be deemed libelous.

Drake submitted the lawsuit in January, claiming Universal Music Group, the record label representing both artists, of defamation by permitting the song to be released and marketed, saying it disseminated a "false and malicious narrative".

Drake's representative said he planned to challenge the decision. UMG expressed it was pleased with the outcome and was eager to resuming its collaboration with the rapper.

Context of the Hip-Hop Feud

Not Like Us, which was first dropped in May 2024, was broadly viewed as the decisive blow in an ongoing battle between the competing artists.

It has emerged as the biggest hit of the rapper’s career, having received multiple Grammy awards and being one of the most-talked about moments of his Super Bowl performance in February.

In a detailed ruling, Judge Vargas called the dispute 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 focus of extensive press coverage and digital debate," the court wrote.

"Although the accusation that plaintiff is a pedophile is certainly a grave allegation, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with incendiary language and insulting claims hurled by each artist, would not lead the reasonable listener to believe that 'the track' imparts truthful statements about the claimant."

She additionally observed that, in an earlier song, Drake had "dared his rival to make the pedophile claims" that appeared in Not Like Us.

On the song 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 track suggested.

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

"The similarity in the wording suggests strongly that this line is a direct callback to Drake's lyrics in the prior song."

'A Slap in the Face to Creatives'

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

His lawyers alleged UMG of launching "an effort to generate a popular song" out of a track that made the "false factual allegation that the artist is a criminal paedophile, and to imply that the public should turn to vigilante justice in response".

Ruling against the plaintiff, Judge Vargas said listeners would not expect "accurate factual reporting" from a musical attack "replete with profanity, insults, violent implications, and exaggerated statements."

She highlighted that the rapper himself had used similar language, quoting a lyric in which the artist "heavily" suggested that "Lamar is a spouse beater", and another where Drake "claims that he 'was told' that one of Lamar's children may not be his biological offspring."

Regarding Lamar's song, the court said: "Even seemingly factual claims may take on the nature of subjective views... when made in open discourse, heated labour dispute, or other circumstances in which an audience may expect the use of slurs, fiery rhetoric or exaggeration."

Reacting to the dismissal, a label spokesperson said: "From the beginning, this lawsuit was an insult to all artists and their artistic freedom and should not have been filed."

"We're pleased with the judge’s ruling and look forward to continuing our work successfully marketing the artist’s work and supporting his career," the spokesperson added.

A spokesperson for the musician said the artist intended to appeal the ruling, "and we await the Court of Appeals examining it".

Kendrick Lamar has not yet comment on the legal matter.