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A court official has thrown out the rapper Drake’s legal claim against Universal Music Group concerning Kendrick Lamar’s track the diss record.

Judge the court’s judge ruled that the rapper’s lyrics, which accused the artist and his associates of being "pedophiles", were "nonactionable opinion" and could not be considered defamatory.

The Canadian rapper filed the legal action in early this year, accusing UMG, the music company behind the two rappers, of defamation by permitting the song to be released and marketed, saying it spread a "false and malicious narrative".

Drake's representative stated he planned to challenge the ruling. Universal Music Group said it was pleased with the result and was looking forward to resuming its work with the musician.

Context of the Hip-Hop Feud

The diss song, which was initially released in spring 2024, was broadly viewed as the final strike in an continuing feud between the competing artists.

It has emerged as the most successful track of Lamar's career, having received multiple Grammy awards and being one of the most-discussed 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 online discourse," the court wrote.

"While the accusation that Drake is a child predator is certainly a grave allegation, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with provocative remarks and offensive accusations hurled by each artist, would not lead the average audience to believe that 'Not Like Us' conveys truthful statements about plaintiff."

She also noted that, in an previous track, the artist had "dared his rival to make the paedophilia accusations" that appeared in the diss record.

On the track his own release, the rapper used the synthetic vocals of Tupac Shakur to suggest strategies 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 lines as 'Hey Drake, I’ve heard you prefer them young' must be evaluated," wrote Judge Vargas.

"The similarity in the wording suggests strongly that this line is a clear reference to Drake's lyrics in the earlier release."

'A Slap in the Face to Creatives'

Drake, whose legal name is Aubrey Graham, did not name his rival in the lawsuit.

His lawyers accused the label of initiating "a campaign to generate a viral hit" out of a track that made the "untrue claim that Drake is a criminal paedophile, and to suggest that the public should resort to extra-legal action in response".

Ruling against the plaintiff, Judge Vargas said fans would not expect "accurate factual reporting" from a musical attack "filled with vulgar language, trash-talking, violent implications, and figurative and hyperbolic language."

She pointed out that the rapper himself had used similar language, quoting a lyric in which the artist "heavily" suggested that "Lamar is a spouse beater", and a separate instance where Drake "raps that he 'heard' that one of Lamar's sons may not be biologically his."

Regarding Lamar's song, the court said: "Although apparent statements of fact may assume the character of subjective views... when made in open discourse, heated labour dispute, or similar situations in which an audience may expect the use of epithets, passionate language or exaggeration."

Reacting to the dismissal, a UMG representative said: "From the outset, this lawsuit was an affront to every creative and their creative expression and should not have been filed."

"We are satisfied with the court's dismissal and are eager to resuming our work effectively marketing the artist’s work and investing in his artistic path," the representative added.

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

Lamar has not yet issue a statement on the case.