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A court official has rejected Drake's legal claim targeting the music corporation over Kendrick Lamar’s song Not Like Us.

Presiding Judge Jeannette Vargas decided that the rapper’s lyrics, which accused Drake and his associates of being "pedophiles", were "protected opinion" and cannot be deemed libelous.

The Canadian rapper filed the legal action in early this year, accusing Universal Music Group, the music company behind both artists, of defamation by permitting the track to be released and promoted, saying it spread a "false and malicious narrative".

The artist’s representative said he planned to appeal the decision. Universal Music Group said it was pleased with the result and was eager to continuing its work with the musician.

Context of the Hip-Hop Feud

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

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

In a 38-page order, the judge called the row between the artists "the most notorious hip-hop feud in the genre's history".

"Both rappers’ series of diss tracks was a 'verbal conflict' that was the focus of substantial media scrutiny and online discourse," the judge wrote.

"While the accusation that plaintiff is a pedophile is undoubtedly a serious one, the wider backdrop of a intense musical rivalry, with incendiary language and offensive accusations exchanged by both participants, would not incline the reasonable listener to believe that 'the track' imparts truthful statements about the claimant."

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

On the track Taylor Made Freestyle, the rapper used the AI-generated voice of Tupac Shakur to give Lamar advice on how to win the rap battle.

"Suggest he has a preference for minors, consider that a tip," the song suggested.

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

"The parallel in the phrasing strongly indicates that this line is a direct callback to Drake's lyrics in the prior song."

'A Slap in the Face to Creatives'

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

His legal team accused the label of initiating "a campaign to generate a viral hit" out of a release that made the "false factual allegation that the artist is a criminal paedophile, and to suggest that the audience should turn to extra-legal action in retaliation".

Deciding against the plaintiff, the judge said listeners would not expect "truthful accounts" from a diss track "replete with vulgar language, trash-talking, violent implications, and exaggerated statements."

She highlighted that the rapper himself had engaged in comparable rhetoric, referencing a line in which the artist "strongly" implied that "Lamar is a spouse beater", and a separate instance where he "claims that he 'heard' that one of Lamar's sons may not be biologically his."

Concerning Lamar's song, Judge Vargas said: "Although apparent statements of fact may take on the nature of subjective views... when made in open discourse, intense arguments, or similar situations in which an audience may anticipate the use of epithets, passionate language or exaggeration."

Responding to the dismissal, a label representative said: "From the beginning, this case was an insult to all artists and their creative expression and should not have seen the light of day."

"We are satisfied with the court's dismissal and are eager to continuing our work successfully marketing Drake's music and investing in his artistic path," the representative continued.

A representative for Drake said the artist planned to contest the ruling, "and we await the Court of Appeals reviewing it".

Lamar has yet to issue a statement on the case.