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

Presiding Judge the court’s judge ruled that the rapper’s lyrics, which accused Drake and his associates of being "pedophiles", were "protected opinion" and cannot be deemed defamatory.

Drake filed the legal action in January, accusing UMG, the music company behind both artists, of defamatory conduct by allowing the song to be published and marketed, saying it disseminated a "untrue and harmful story".

Drake's spokesperson stated he planned to appeal the ruling. UMG expressed it was satisfied with the outcome and was looking forward to resuming its work with the rapper.

Background of the Rap Battle

The diss song, which was initially released in May 2024, was widely seen as the final strike in an continuing feud between the competing artists.

It has emerged as the biggest hit of Lamar's career, having won five Grammys and being one of the most-talked about moments of his Super Bowl performance in February.

In a 38-page order, Judge Vargas called the row between the artists "the most infamous rap battle in the history of rap music".

"Both rappers’ seven-track rap battle was a 'war of words' that was the focus of substantial media scrutiny and digital debate," the judge wrote.

"Although the accusation that plaintiff is a pedophile is certainly a serious one, the wider backdrop of a heated rap battle, with provocative remarks and insulting claims hurled by each artist, would not lead the average audience to believe that 'the track' imparts verifiable facts about the claimant."

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

On the song his own release, Drake used the synthetic vocals 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 proposed.

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

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

'An Affront to Artists'

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

His legal team alleged the label of initiating "an effort to generate a popular song" out of a release that made the "false factual allegation that the artist is a criminal paedophile, and to suggest that the public should turn to vigilante justice in response".

Deciding against the plaintiff, the judge said listeners would not expect "truthful accounts" from a musical attack "replete with profanity, trash-talking, threats of violence, and figurative and hyperbolic language."

She pointed out that the rapper himself had used comparable rhetoric, referencing a lyric in which the artist "strongly" suggested that "Lamar is a spouse beater", and a separate instance where Drake "claims that he 'heard' that one of his rival’s sons may not be biologically his."

Concerning the track in question, the court said: "Even apparent statements of fact may assume the character of statements of opinion... when made in open discourse, intense arguments, or other circumstances in which an audience may anticipate the use of epithets, passionate language or exaggeration."

Reacting to the rejection, a label representative said: "From the outset, this case was an affront to every creative and their artistic freedom and should not have seen the light of day."

"We are satisfied with the judge’s ruling and are eager to resuming our work effectively marketing the artist’s work and supporting his career," the representative added.

A representative for Drake said the rapper intended to contest the ruling, "and we look forward to the Court of Appeals examining it".

Kendrick Lamar has yet to issue a statement on the case.