🔗 Share this article

A court official has thrown out the rapper Drake’s defamation lawsuit targeting Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar’s song Not Like Us.

Judge the court’s judge determined that Lamar's song lyrics, which claimed the artist and his associates of being "pedophiles", were "nonactionable opinion" and could not be deemed libelous.

The Canadian rapper filed the legal action in early this year, claiming UMG, the record label behind the two rappers, of defamatory conduct by allowing the track to be published and promoted, saying it spread a "false and malicious narrative".

The artist’s spokesperson said he planned to challenge the decision. Universal Music Group said it was pleased with the outcome and was eager to resuming 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 decisive blow in an ongoing battle between the competing artists.

It has emerged as the biggest hit of the rapper’s career, having received multiple Grammy awards and being one of the most-discussed moments of his Super Bowl performance in early 2025.

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

"The artists' series of diss tracks was a 'verbal conflict' that was the subject of substantial media scrutiny and online discourse," the court wrote.

"While the claim 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 'the track' conveys verifiable facts about the claimant."

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

On the track his own release, Drake used the AI-generated voice of Tupac Shakur to give Lamar advice on how to prevail in the feud.

"Talk about him likin' young girls, that's a gift from me," the song proposed.

"It is in this context in which such lyrics as 'Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young' must be evaluated," stated Judge Vargas.

"The similarity in the phrasing suggests strongly that this line is a direct callback to Drake's lyrics in the earlier release."

'An Affront to Artists'

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

His legal team accused the label of launching "an effort to generate a popular song" out of a track that made the "false factual allegation that Drake is a convicted predator, and to imply that the public should turn to vigilante justice in retaliation".

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

She pointed out that Drake himself had engaged in comparable rhetoric, referencing a line in which the star "heavily" suggested that "his opponent is a spouse beater", and another where he "claims that he 'was told' that one of his rival’s children may not be his biological offspring."

Concerning the track in question, the court said: "Even apparent statements of fact may take on the nature of statements of opinion... when made in open discourse, heated labour dispute, or similar situations in which an audience may anticipate the use of slurs, passionate language or hyperbole."

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

"We're pleased with the judge’s ruling and look forward to resuming our partnership effectively promoting the artist’s work and supporting his career," the spokesperson added.

A spokesperson for the musician said the artist intended to contest the decision, "and we await the Court of Appeals reviewing it".

Lamar has yet to issue a statement on the legal matter.