Court Throws Out Rapper Drake's Lawsuit Regarding Kendrick Lamar’s Hit Not Like Us

A court official has thrown out Drake's legal claim targeting the music corporation over Kendrick Lamar's track Not Like Us.

Presiding Judge Jeannette Vargas ruled that Lamar's song lyrics, which claimed the artist and his associates of being "pedophiles", were "nonactionable opinion" and cannot be considered libelous.

Drake filed the lawsuit in January, accusing UMG, the music company behind the two rappers, of defamatory conduct by allowing the track to be released and marketed, saying it disseminated a "untrue and harmful story".

The artist’s spokesperson stated he planned to appeal the decision. Universal Music Group expressed it was pleased with the outcome and was looking forward to continuing its work with the rapper.

Context of the Hip-Hop Feud

The diss song, which was first dropped in spring 2024, was broadly viewed as the decisive blow in an ongoing battle between the competing artists.

It has emerged as the biggest hit of Lamar's career, having received five Grammys and being one of the most-discussed moments of his Super Bowl half-time show in February.

In a 38-page order, the judge called the row between the rappers "the most infamous rap battle in the genre's history".

"The artists' seven-track rap battle was a 'war of words' that was the focus of extensive press coverage and online discourse," the court noted.

"Although the accusation that Drake is a pedophile is undoubtedly a grave allegation, the broader context of a intense musical rivalry, with provocative remarks and insulting claims exchanged by each artist, would not lead the average audience to believe that 'Not Like Us' imparts verifiable facts about the claimant."

She also noted that, in an previous track, the artist had "dared Lamar to make the pedophile claims" that featured in the diss record.

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

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

"The similarity in the wording strongly indicates that this line is a clear reference to Drake's lyrics in the earlier release."

'A Slap in the Face to Creatives'

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

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

Deciding against the plaintiff, Judge Vargas said fans would not expect "truthful accounts" from a diss track "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 lyric in which the star "strongly" suggested that "Lamar is a spouse beater", and a separate instance where Drake "raps that he 'heard' that one of Lamar's children may not be biologically his."

Concerning Lamar's song, the court 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 anticipate the use of slurs, passionate language or hyperbole."

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

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

A representative for the musician said the rapper planned to appeal the ruling, "and we await the Court of Appeals reviewing it".

Lamar has not yet issue a statement on the case.