🔗 Share this article

A judge has thrown out the rapper Drake’s legal claim targeting the music corporation concerning Kendrick Lamar's song Not Like Us.

Presiding Judge the court’s judge decided that Lamar's song lyrics, which claimed Drake and his associates of being "certified paedophiles", were "protected opinion" and cannot be deemed libelous.

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

Drake's spokesperson said he planned to appeal the decision. Universal Music Group expressed it was pleased with the outcome and was looking forward to continuing its collaboration with the musician.

Context of the Rap Battle

The diss song, which was first dropped in spring 2024, was broadly viewed as the final strike in an ongoing battle between the rival rappers.

It has emerged as the most successful track of Lamar's career, having received five Grammys and being one of the most-discussed moments of his Super Bowl performance in early 2025.

In a detailed ruling, the judge called the dispute between the artists "the most infamous rap battle in the genre's history".

"Both rappers’ seven-track rap battle was a 'verbal conflict' that was the focus of extensive press coverage and online discourse," the judge wrote.

"Although the claim that plaintiff is a child predator is certainly a grave allegation, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with provocative remarks and offensive accusations exchanged by each artist, would not lead the reasonable listener to believe that 'the track' conveys truthful statements about plaintiff."

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

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

"Against this backdrop in which such lines as 'Hey Drake, I’ve heard you prefer them young' must be assessed," stated Judge Vargas.

"The parallel in the phrasing strongly indicates that this line is a clear reference to the artist’s own words in the prior song."

'An Affront to Artists'

Drake, whose real name is Aubrey Graham, did not name Lamar in the lawsuit.

His lawyers alleged the label of initiating "a campaign to create a viral hit" out of a release that made the "false factual allegation that Drake is a convicted predator, and to imply that the audience should turn to vigilante justice in response".

Deciding against Drake, Judge Vargas said fans would not expect "truthful accounts" from a musical attack "filled with vulgar language, trash-talking, violent implications, and figurative and hyperbolic language."

She pointed out that Drake himself had used comparable rhetoric, referencing a line in which the artist "strongly" implied that "his opponent is a domestic abuser", and another where Drake "claims that he 'was told' that one of his rival’s children may not be biologically his."

Concerning Lamar's song, Judge Vargas said: "Although apparent statements of fact may take on the nature of statements of opinion... when made in open discourse, heated labour dispute, or other circumstances in which an audience may expect the use of epithets, passionate language or exaggeration."

Reacting to the dismissal, a UMG representative said: "From the beginning, this lawsuit was an insult to all artists and their creative expression and never should have been filed."

"We're pleased with the judge’s ruling and look forward to resuming our partnership successfully marketing Drake's music and investing in his career," the spokesperson continued.

A representative for Drake said the artist planned to contest the decision, "and we look forward to the appellate court examining it".

Kendrick Lamar has yet to comment on the case.