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A court official has rejected the rapper Drake’s legal claim targeting Universal Music Group concerning Kendrick Lamar’s song the diss record.

Judge the court’s judge ruled that Lamar's song lyrics, which claimed Drake and his associates of being "certified paedophiles", were "nonactionable opinion" and could not be considered defamatory.

Drake filed the legal action in January, accusing Universal Music Group, the record label representing the two rappers, of defamatory conduct by permitting the track to be published and promoted, stating it disseminated a "false and malicious narrative".

The artist’s spokesperson said he intended to challenge the decision. UMG expressed it was pleased with the result and was looking forward to continuing its work with the musician.

Background of the Rap Battle

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

It has emerged as the most successful track of the rapper’s career, having received five Grammys and being one of the most-talked about moments of his Super Bowl performance in February.

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

"The artists' series of diss tracks was a 'verbal conflict' that was the focus of substantial media scrutiny and digital debate," the court noted.

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

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

On the song his own release, Drake 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 track suggested.

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

"The similarity in the wording suggests strongly that this lyric is a direct callback to the artist’s own words in the prior song."

'An Affront to Artists'

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

His legal team alleged UMG of initiating "an effort to generate a viral hit" out of a release that made the "untrue claim that Drake is a criminal paedophile, and to imply that the audience should turn to extra-legal action in response".

Deciding against the plaintiff, Judge Vargas said fans would not expect "truthful accounts" from a diss track "filled with vulgar language, insults, violent implications, and exaggerated statements."

She pointed out that the rapper himself had used comparable rhetoric, quoting a line in which the star "heavily" suggested that "Lamar is a spouse beater", and another where he "claims that he 'was told' that one of his rival’s sons may not be biologically his."

Concerning the track in question, Judge Vargas said: "Even seemingly factual claims 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 slurs, fiery rhetoric or exaggeration."

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

"We are satisfied with the judge’s ruling and are eager to resuming our work successfully promoting the artist’s work and investing in his artistic path," the representative added.

A representative for Drake said the artist planned to contest the ruling, "and we await the appellate court examining it".

Kendrick Lamar has not yet issue a statement on the case.