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A judge has dismissed Drake's legal claim against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar’s song the diss record.

Presiding Judge the court’s judge determined that the rapper’s song lyrics, which accused the artist and his crew of being "certified paedophiles", were "protected opinion" and cannot be deemed libelous.

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

The artist’s representative stated he planned to challenge the ruling. Universal Music Group expressed it was pleased with the result and was looking forward to continuing its collaboration with the musician.

Context of the Rap Battle

The diss song, which was first dropped in May 2024, was widely seen as the final strike in an continuing feud between the competing artists.

It has emerged as the most successful track of Lamar's career, having received multiple Grammy awards and being one of the most-talked about highlights of his Super Bowl half-time show in early 2025.

In a detailed ruling, the judge called the row between the artists "the most infamous rap battle in the history of rap music".

"The artists' series of diss tracks was a 'war of words' that was the subject of extensive press coverage and online discourse," the court noted.

"Although the claim that plaintiff is a child predator is certainly a serious one, the broader context of a intense musical rivalry, with provocative remarks and insulting claims hurled by each artist, would not incline the reasonable listener to believe that 'the track' conveys truthful statements about the claimant."

She also noted that, in an earlier song, the artist had "challenged his rival to make the pedophile claims" that featured in the diss record.

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 track proposed.

"It is in this context 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 suggests strongly that this line is a clear reference to Drake's lyrics in the earlier release."

'An Affront to Artists'

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

His lawyers accused UMG of launching "an effort to create a popular song" out of a track that made the "untrue claim that the artist is a convicted predator, and to imply that the public should resort to extra-legal action in response".

Deciding against the plaintiff, Judge Vargas said fans would not expect "accurate factual reporting" from a diss track "replete with profanity, trash-talking, violent implications, and exaggerated statements."

She highlighted that the rapper himself had used similar language, quoting a lyric in which the star "heavily" implied that "Lamar is a spouse beater", and another where he "raps that he 'was told' that one of his rival’s sons may not be biologically his."

Concerning the track in question, the court said: "Although seemingly factual claims may assume the character of statements of opinion... when made in open discourse, heated labour dispute, or other circumstances in which an listener may anticipate the use of slurs, fiery rhetoric or hyperbole."

Reacting to the rejection, a UMG representative said: "From the beginning, this case was an affront to all artists and their artistic freedom and should not have been filed."

"We're pleased with the judge’s ruling and look forward to resuming our work successfully marketing Drake's music and supporting his artistic path," the spokesperson continued.

A representative for Drake said the artist planned to appeal the ruling, "and we look forward to the Court of Appeals examining it".

Kendrick Lamar has yet to comment on the case.