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A judge has rejected Drake's defamation lawsuit targeting the music corporation over Kendrick Lamar's song the diss record.

Presiding Judge Jeannette Vargas determined that Lamar's song lyrics, which accused Drake and his crew of being "pedophiles", were "protected opinion" and could not be considered libelous.

The Canadian rapper filed the lawsuit in early this year, accusing Universal Music Group, the record label behind both artists, of defamatory conduct by permitting the song to be published and marketed, stating it disseminated a "untrue and harmful story".

Drake's representative stated he intended to appeal the ruling. UMG expressed it was satisfied with the outcome and was eager to resuming its collaboration with the rapper.

Background of the Rap Battle

The diss song, which was initially released in spring 2024, was broadly viewed as the decisive blow in an ongoing battle between the rival rappers.

It has become the biggest hit of the rapper’s career, having received five Grammys and being one of the most-discussed highlights of his Super Bowl performance in early 2025.

In a detailed ruling, the judge called the row between the rappers "the most notorious hip-hop feud in the genre's history".

"Both rappers’ series of diss tracks was a 'war of words' that was the focus of extensive press coverage and online discourse," the judge wrote.

"Although the accusation that plaintiff is a child predator is certainly a serious one, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with provocative remarks and offensive accusations 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 his rival to make the paedophilia accusations" that featured in Not Like Us.

On the song Taylor Made Freestyle, the rapper used the AI-generated voice of the late rapper 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.

"It is in this context in which such lines as 'Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young' must be evaluated," wrote the court.

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

'A Slap in the Face to Creatives'

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

His legal team accused the label of initiating "an effort to generate a viral hit" out of a release that made the "false factual allegation that Drake is a convicted predator, and to suggest that the audience should turn to extra-legal action in response".

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

She highlighted that the rapper himself had engaged in comparable rhetoric, quoting a lyric in which the star "heavily" implied that "his opponent is a spouse beater", and another where he "claims that he 'was told' that one of his rival’s sons may not be his biological offspring."

Regarding Lamar's song, Judge Vargas said: "Even apparent statements of fact may assume the character of subjective views... when made in public debate, heated labour dispute, or other circumstances in which an audience may expect the use of slurs, passionate language or exaggeration."

Reacting to the rejection, a label representative said: "From the outset, this lawsuit was an affront to all artists and their artistic freedom and should not have seen the light of day."

"We are satisfied with the court's dismissal and are eager to resuming our work effectively marketing the artist’s work and investing in his career," the representative added.

A representative for Drake said the artist planned to contest the decision, "and we await the Court of Appeals examining it".

Kendrick Lamar has yet to comment on the legal matter.