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A judge has rejected the rapper Drake’s legal claim against the music corporation over Kendrick Lamar’s song Not Like Us.

Presiding Judge the court’s judge decided that the rapper’s lyrics, which claimed the artist and his crew of being "pedophiles", were "nonactionable opinion" and cannot be deemed libelous.

Drake filed the lawsuit in January, accusing Universal Music Group, the music company behind the two rappers, of defamatory conduct by permitting the song to be released and promoted, saying it disseminated a "false and malicious narrative".

Drake's representative said he planned to appeal the decision. Universal Music Group expressed it was satisfied with the outcome and was looking forward to resuming its collaboration with the musician.

Background of the Rap Battle

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 Lamar's musical journey, having won multiple Grammy awards and being one of the most-discussed highlights of his Super Bowl half-time show in February.

In a detailed ruling, Judge Vargas called the row between the rappers "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 digital debate," the court wrote.

"Although the claim that Drake is a child predator is certainly a grave allegation, the wider backdrop of a intense musical rivalry, with provocative remarks and insulting claims exchanged by each artist, would not lead the reasonable listener to believe that 'the track' conveys truthful statements about the claimant."

She also noted that, in an earlier song, the artist had "challenged his rival to make the pedophile claims" that featured in Not Like Us.

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

"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 assessed," stated Judge Vargas.

"The similarity in the phrasing strongly indicates that this lyric is a direct callback to the artist’s own words 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 lawsuit.

His legal team alleged the label of launching "a campaign to generate a viral hit" out of a track that made the "untrue claim that Drake is a convicted predator, and to imply that the audience should resort to extra-legal action in retaliation".

Deciding against the plaintiff, Judge Vargas said fans would not expect "truthful accounts" from a diss track "filled with vulgar language, trash-talking, violent implications, and figurative and hyperbolic language."

She highlighted that the rapper himself had used similar language, referencing a line in which the star "heavily" suggested that "Lamar is a domestic abuser", and a separate instance where he "claims that he 'heard' that one of his rival’s sons may not be biologically his."

Concerning Lamar's song, Judge Vargas said: "Even apparent statements of fact may assume the character of subjective views... when made in open discourse, heated labour dispute, or other circumstances in which an audience may anticipate the use of slurs, fiery rhetoric or exaggeration."

Reacting to the rejection, a UMG representative said: "From the outset, this case was an insult to every creative and their artistic freedom and never should have been filed."

"We are satisfied with the court's dismissal and are eager to resuming our work effectively promoting the artist’s work and supporting his artistic path," the spokesperson continued.

A spokesperson for the musician said the rapper planned to contest the ruling, "and we look forward to the appellate court examining it".

Lamar has not yet comment on the case.