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A court official has rejected Drake's legal claim targeting the music corporation concerning Kendrick Lamar's song the diss record.

Presiding Judge Jeannette Vargas determined that the rapper’s song lyrics, which claimed Drake and his crew of being "pedophiles", were "protected opinion" and cannot be considered libelous.

Drake submitted the lawsuit in January, claiming Universal Music Group, the record label behind both artists, of defamatory conduct by permitting the track to be released and marketed, saying it disseminated a "untrue and harmful story".

Drake's spokesperson stated he planned to appeal the ruling. Universal Music Group expressed it was satisfied with the result and was eager to continuing its collaboration with the musician.

Background of the Rap Battle

Not Like Us, which was initially released in May 2024, was broadly viewed as the final strike in an ongoing battle between the competing artists.

It has become the biggest hit of Lamar's musical journey, having received multiple Grammy awards and being one of the most-discussed highlights of his Super Bowl performance in February.

In a detailed ruling, Judge Vargas called the dispute between the artists "the most infamous rap battle in the history of rap music".

"Both rappers’ series of diss tracks was a 'verbal conflict' that was the focus of extensive press coverage and digital debate," the judge wrote.

"Although the claim that Drake is a child predator is undoubtedly a serious one, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with provocative remarks and offensive accusations exchanged by both participants, would not incline the average audience to believe that 'the track' conveys truthful statements about the claimant."

She also noted that, in an previous track, Drake had "dared his rival to make the pedophile claims" that appeared in Not Like Us.

On the song Taylor Made Freestyle, 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 song proposed.

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

"The parallel in the wording strongly indicates that this lyric is a direct callback to the artist’s own words in the earlier release."

'An Affront to Artists'

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

His lawyers alleged UMG of launching "an effort to generate a popular song" out of a release that made the "untrue claim that Drake is a convicted predator, and to suggest that the audience should resort to vigilante justice in retaliation".

Deciding against the plaintiff, the judge said listeners would not expect "truthful accounts" from a diss track "replete with profanity, trash-talking, violent implications, and exaggerated statements."

She highlighted that the rapper himself had engaged in similar language, quoting a line in which the star "heavily" implied that "his opponent is a domestic abuser", and another where Drake "raps that he 'was told' that one of his rival’s children may not be his biological offspring."

Concerning Lamar's song, Judge Vargas said: "Even apparent statements of fact may take on the nature of subjective views... when made in open discourse, intense arguments, or other circumstances in which an listener may expect the use of slurs, fiery rhetoric or hyperbole."

Responding to the rejection, a UMG spokesperson said: "From the outset, this lawsuit was an affront to every creative and their artistic freedom and should not have seen the light of day."

"We're pleased with the judge’s ruling and are eager to resuming our work successfully promoting the artist’s work and investing in his artistic path," the representative continued.

A representative for Drake said the rapper planned to appeal the ruling, "and we await the appellate court reviewing it".

Kendrick Lamar has not yet comment on the legal matter.