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A court official has thrown out the rapper Drake’s defamation lawsuit against the music corporation concerning Kendrick Lamar’s track the diss record.

Judge the court’s judge decided that Lamar's song lyrics, which accused the artist and his crew of being "certified paedophiles", were "nonactionable opinion" and could not be deemed defamatory.

The Canadian rapper submitted the lawsuit in January, accusing UMG, the record label behind the two rappers, of defamatory conduct by allowing the song to be published and marketed, stating it disseminated a "untrue and harmful story".

Drake's spokesperson stated he intended to challenge the ruling. UMG said it was satisfied with the result and was looking forward to continuing its work with the musician.

Context of the Rap Battle

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

It has become the most successful track of Lamar'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 detailed ruling, the judge called the row between the artists "the most notorious hip-hop feud in the genre's history".

"The artists' series of diss tracks was a 'verbal conflict' that was the focus of extensive press coverage and digital debate," the judge noted.

"Although the accusation that Drake is a pedophile is certainly a grave allegation, the broader context of a intense musical rivalry, with provocative remarks and insulting claims hurled by both participants, would not lead the average audience to believe that 'Not Like Us' imparts truthful statements about plaintiff."

She additionally observed that, in an previous track, Drake had "dared his rival to make the pedophile claims" that featured in the diss record.

On the track Taylor Made Freestyle, the rapper used the synthetic vocals of Tupac Shakur to suggest strategies 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 lyrics as 'Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young' must be assessed," wrote the court.

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

'An Affront to Artists'

The musician, whose real name is Aubrey Graham, did not name his rival in the lawsuit.

His lawyers accused UMG of initiating "an effort to create a popular song" out of a track that made the "false factual allegation that Drake is a criminal paedophile, and to imply that the public should resort to extra-legal action in retaliation".

Deciding against the plaintiff, the judge said listeners would not expect "accurate factual reporting" from a musical attack "replete with profanity, insults, threats of violence, and figurative and hyperbolic language."

She highlighted that the rapper himself had used similar language, quoting a lyric in which the star "strongly" suggested that "his opponent is a domestic abuser", and a separate instance where he "claims that he 'was told' that one of his rival’s children may not be biologically his."

Concerning the track in question, Judge Vargas said: "Although apparent statements of fact may take on the nature of subjective views... when made in public debate, intense arguments, or other circumstances in which an listener may expect the use of epithets, passionate language or hyperbole."

Responding to the rejection, a label representative said: "From the beginning, this case was an insult to all artists and their creative expression and should not have been filed."

"We're pleased with the judge’s ruling and are eager to resuming our work effectively promoting Drake's music and supporting his career," the representative added.

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

Kendrick Lamar has not yet comment on the case.