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

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

Drake submitted the lawsuit in January, accusing Universal Music Group, the music company behind both artists, of defamatory conduct by allowing the track to be released and promoted, stating it disseminated a "false and malicious narrative".

The artist’s representative said he intended to appeal the decision. Universal Music Group said it was pleased with the outcome and was eager to resuming its work with the musician.

Background of the Rap Battle

The diss song, which was first dropped in May 2024, was widely seen as the final strike 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-talked about moments of his Super Bowl performance in February.

In a detailed ruling, the judge called the dispute 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 subject of substantial media scrutiny and online discourse," the judge noted.

"While the accusation that Drake is a child predator is undoubtedly a serious one, the wider backdrop of a intense musical rivalry, with incendiary language and offensive accusations hurled by both participants, would not lead the average audience to believe that 'the track' imparts truthful statements about the claimant."

She additionally observed that, in an earlier song, the artist had "challenged his rival to make the paedophilia accusations" that appeared in Not Like Us.

On the song Taylor Made Freestyle, the rapper 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 suggested.

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

"The parallel in the phrasing strongly indicates that this lyric is a direct callback to Drake's lyrics in the earlier release."

'An Affront to Artists'

The musician, whose real name is Aubrey Graham, did not sue Lamar in the lawsuit.

His lawyers alleged UMG of initiating "a campaign to generate a popular song" out of a release that made the "false factual allegation that the artist is a criminal paedophile, and to suggest that the public should turn to extra-legal action in retaliation".

Ruling against Drake, the judge said fans would not expect "accurate factual reporting" from a musical attack "filled with profanity, trash-talking, threats of violence, and exaggerated statements."

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

Regarding Lamar's song, the court said: "Although apparent statements of fact may take on the nature of statements of opinion... when made in public debate, intense arguments, or similar situations in which an audience may anticipate the use of epithets, passionate language or hyperbole."

Reacting to the rejection, a UMG representative said: "From the beginning, this case was an affront to every creative and their creative expression and never should have seen the light of day."

"We are satisfied with the judge’s ruling and are eager to resuming our work effectively marketing Drake's music and investing in his career," the representative added.

A representative for Drake said the artist planned to contest the ruling, "and we await the appellate court examining it".

Lamar has not yet issue a statement on the legal matter.