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A court official has thrown out the rapper Drake’s legal claim against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar's song Not Like Us.

Presiding Judge the court’s judge determined that Lamar's lyrics, which accused the artist and his crew of being "certified paedophiles", were "nonactionable opinion" and could not be considered libelous.

Drake filed the lawsuit in January, claiming Universal Music Group, the music company representing the two rappers, of defamation by permitting the track to be published and marketed, stating it spread a "untrue and harmful story".

The artist’s representative said he planned to appeal the ruling. Universal Music Group said it was satisfied with the result and was looking forward to resuming its collaboration with the rapper.

Context of the Hip-Hop Feud

Not Like Us, which was initially released in spring 2024, was widely seen as the decisive blow in an continuing feud between the rival rappers.

It has become the biggest hit of the rapper’s career, having received multiple Grammy awards and being one of the most-talked about highlights of his Super Bowl performance in early 2025.

In a detailed ruling, Judge Vargas called the dispute between the rappers "the most notorious hip-hop feud in the history of rap music".

"The artists' seven-track rap battle was a 'war of words' that was the focus of substantial media scrutiny and digital debate," the court wrote.

"While the claim that plaintiff is a child predator is certainly a serious one, the wider backdrop of a intense musical rivalry, with incendiary language and insulting claims hurled by both participants, would not incline the average audience to believe that 'Not Like Us' conveys truthful statements about the claimant."

She additionally observed that, in an previous track, the artist had "dared his rival to make the pedophile claims" that appeared in the diss record.

On the track his own release, Drake used the AI-generated voice 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 track proposed.

"Against this backdrop in which such lyrics as 'Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young' must be assessed," wrote the court.

"The similarity in the wording suggests strongly that this line is a clear reference to the artist’s own words in the earlier release."

'An Affront to Artists'

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

His lawyers alleged the label of launching "an effort to create a popular song" out of a track that made the "false factual allegation that Drake is a criminal paedophile, and to imply that the audience 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 vulgar language, insults, threats of violence, and figurative and hyperbolic language."

She pointed out that the rapper himself had engaged in comparable rhetoric, referencing a lyric in which the artist "strongly" suggested that "his opponent is a spouse beater", and another where Drake "claims that he 'was told' that one of his rival’s sons may not be his biological offspring."

Concerning the track in question, the court said: "Even apparent statements of fact may take on the nature of statements of opinion... when made in open discourse, heated labour dispute, or other circumstances in which an listener may anticipate the use of epithets, passionate language or exaggeration."

Responding to the dismissal, a label representative said: "From the beginning, this lawsuit was an affront to every creative and their artistic freedom and never should have been filed."

"We're pleased with the judge’s ruling and are eager to continuing our work effectively promoting the artist’s work and investing in his artistic path," the representative 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 yet to comment on the case.