🔗 Share this article

A judge has thrown out the rapper Drake’s defamation lawsuit targeting the music corporation concerning Kendrick Lamar's track Not Like Us.

Presiding Judge Jeannette Vargas ruled that the rapper’s song lyrics, which claimed Drake and his associates of being "pedophiles", were "nonactionable opinion" and could not be considered defamatory.

The Canadian rapper filed the legal action in January, claiming Universal Music Group, the record label representing the two rappers, of defamatory conduct by allowing the track to be released and marketed, stating it disseminated a "untrue and harmful story".

Drake's representative said he planned to appeal the decision. UMG expressed it was satisfied with the outcome and was eager to continuing its collaboration with the rapper.

Context of the Hip-Hop Feud

The diss song, which was first dropped in May 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 the rapper’s musical journey, having won multiple Grammy awards and being one of the most-discussed highlights of his Super Bowl half-time show in early 2025.

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

"The artists' seven-track rap battle was a 'verbal conflict' that was the subject of extensive press coverage and digital debate," the court wrote.

"While the claim that plaintiff is a child predator is undoubtedly a grave allegation, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with incendiary language and offensive accusations exchanged by both participants, would not lead the average audience to believe that 'Not Like Us' imparts verifiable facts about the claimant."

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

On the song his own release, the rapper 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 track suggested.

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

"The similarity in the wording suggests strongly that this lyric is a direct callback to Drake's lyrics in the prior song."

'An Affront to Artists'

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

His legal team alleged the label of launching "an effort to generate a popular song" out of a track that made the "untrue claim that the artist is a criminal paedophile, and to suggest that the public should resort to vigilante justice in response".

Ruling against Drake, Judge Vargas said fans would not expect "truthful accounts" from a diss track "filled with profanity, insults, violent implications, and figurative and hyperbolic language."

She highlighted that Drake himself had engaged in comparable rhetoric, quoting a lyric in which the artist "heavily" suggested that "Lamar is a domestic abuser", and another where he "raps that he 'heard' that one of Lamar's sons may not be his biological offspring."

Concerning the track in question, the court 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 listener may expect the use of slurs, passionate language or hyperbole."

Responding to the rejection, a UMG spokesperson said: "From the beginning, this case was an insult 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 continuing our work effectively promoting Drake's music and investing in his career," the spokesperson continued.

A representative for the musician said the artist intended to contest the ruling, "and we look forward to the appellate court examining it".

Kendrick Lamar has not yet comment on the case.