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A court official has rejected the rapper Drake’s legal claim targeting the music corporation concerning Kendrick Lamar’s track the diss record.

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

Drake filed the legal action in early this year, accusing UMG, the record label behind the two rappers, of defamatory conduct by permitting the track to be published and marketed, saying it disseminated a "untrue and harmful story".

Drake's spokesperson said he planned to appeal the ruling. Universal Music Group said it was satisfied with the outcome and was looking forward to resuming its work with the rapper.

Background of the Rap Battle

Not Like Us, which was initially released in May 2024, was widely seen as the decisive blow in an ongoing battle between the rival rappers.

It has become the biggest hit of the rapper’s musical journey, having received multiple Grammy awards and being one of the most-talked about highlights of his Super Bowl half-time show in February.

In a detailed ruling, the judge called the row between the rappers "the most notorious hip-hop feud in the genre's history".

"Both rappers’ series of diss tracks was a 'war of words' that was the focus of extensive press coverage and online discourse," the court noted.

"Although the claim that plaintiff is a pedophile is undoubtedly a serious one, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with incendiary language and insulting claims hurled by both participants, would not incline the average audience to believe that 'the track' conveys verifiable facts about the claimant."

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

On the song his own release, Drake used the AI-generated voice of the late rapper to give Lamar advice on how to prevail in the feud.

"Talk about him likin' young girls, that's a gift from me," the song proposed.

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

"The parallel in the phrasing suggests strongly that this lyric is a clear reference to the artist’s own words in the earlier release."

'An Affront to Artists'

Drake, whose legal name is Aubrey Graham, did not name Lamar in the legal filing.

His legal team alleged UMG of initiating "an effort to create a viral hit" out of a track that made the "false factual allegation that the artist is a criminal paedophile, and to imply that the audience should turn to vigilante justice in retaliation".

Deciding against Drake, the judge said listeners would not expect "accurate factual reporting" from a diss track "filled with profanity, insults, threats of violence, and exaggerated statements."

She highlighted that the rapper himself had engaged in similar language, quoting a line in which the artist "strongly" suggested that "Lamar is a spouse beater", and a separate instance where he "claims that he 'heard' that one of his rival’s children may not be his biological offspring."

Concerning Lamar's song, Judge Vargas said: "Although apparent statements of fact may take on the nature of statements of opinion... when made in public debate, intense arguments, or similar situations in which an audience may expect the use of slurs, passionate language or hyperbole."

Reacting to the rejection, a label spokesperson said: "From the beginning, this lawsuit was an insult to every creative and their creative expression and never should have been filed."

"We are satisfied with the court's dismissal and look forward to continuing our work successfully promoting Drake's music and supporting his career," the representative continued.

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

Lamar has not yet issue a statement on the case.