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A court official has thrown out Drake's defamation lawsuit targeting the music corporation over Kendrick Lamar’s song the diss record.

Presiding Judge Jeannette Vargas decided that the rapper’s 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, accusing Universal Music Group, the music company representing the two rappers, of defamatory conduct by allowing the track to be released and promoted, stating it spread a "untrue and harmful story".

The artist’s representative stated he planned to challenge the ruling. UMG said it was pleased with the outcome and was looking forward to resuming its collaboration with the rapper.

Background of the Hip-Hop Feud

The diss song, which was first dropped in spring 2024, was widely seen as the final strike in an continuing feud between the rival rappers.

It has emerged as the most successful track of the rapper’s career, having won multiple Grammy awards and being one of the most-talked about moments of his Super Bowl half-time show in February.

In a 38-page order, Judge Vargas called the dispute between the rappers "the most notorious hip-hop feud in the history of rap music".

"The artists' seven-track rap battle was a 'verbal conflict' that was the focus of substantial media scrutiny and digital debate," the court wrote.

"Although the claim that plaintiff is a pedophile is certainly a serious one, the broader context of a intense musical rivalry, 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 the claimant."

She additionally observed that, in an previous track, the artist had "dared Lamar to make the paedophilia accusations" that appeared in Not Like Us.

On the track 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.

"Against this backdrop in which such lines 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 Drake's lyrics in the earlier release."

'A Slap in the Face to Creatives'

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

His legal team accused UMG of launching "a campaign to generate a viral hit" out of a track that made the "false factual allegation that Drake is a convicted predator, and to suggest that the public should resort to vigilante justice in retaliation".

Deciding against the plaintiff, 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 highlighted that the rapper himself had used similar language, quoting a line in which the star "heavily" implied that "his opponent is a spouse beater", and another where Drake "claims that he 'was told' that one of his rival’s children may not be biologically his."

Regarding the track in question, the court said: "Even apparent statements of fact may assume the character of statements of opinion... when made in open discourse, intense arguments, or similar situations in which an audience may expect the use of slurs, passionate language or exaggeration."

Responding to the rejection, a label spokesperson said: "From the outset, this case was an insult to all artists and their creative expression and should not have been filed."

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

A spokesperson for the musician said the artist intended to appeal the decision, "and we look forward to the appellate court examining it".

Lamar has yet to issue a statement on the case.