Oct 9 (Reuters) - A federal judge in Manhattan on

Thursday dismissed superstar rapper Drake's defamation lawsuit

over Kendrick Lamar's diss track "Not Like Us" against Universal

Music Group, which releases both artists' music.

U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas said Lamar's lyrics

accusing Drake of being a pedophile were not defamatory because

they were "nonactionable opinion."

"Although the accusation that Plaintiff is a pedophile is

certainly a serious one, the broader context of a heated rap

battle, with incendiary language and offensive accusations

hurled by both participants, would not incline the reasonable

listener to believe that 'Not Like Us' imparts verifiable

facts," Vargas said.

Attorneys for Drake and Lamar's representatives did not

immediately respond to a request for comment on the decision.

UMG said it was pleased by the dismissal. "From the outset,

this suit was an affront to all artists and their creative

expression and never should have seen the light of day," UMG

said in a statement.

The company said it looked forward to "continuing our work

successfully promoting Drake's music and investing in his

career."

Lamar and Drake, whose given name is Aubrey Drake Graham, have

been engaged in a long-running feud with several high-profile

diss tracks against each other. Drake sued UMG in January based

on its promotion of "Not Like Us," arguing the song's false

accusation that the Canadian rapper is a pedophile put him and

his family in danger.

Music industry publications have said Drake did not sue Lamar

directly because the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution

offers strong protections for individual creative expression.

Drake argued UMG was responsible for distributing and profiting

from the song.

"Not Like Us" won Grammy Awards in February for record and

song of the year. It spent two weeks at the top of Billboard's

Hot 100 in 2024 and another week at No. 1 after Lamar performed

it at this year's Super Bowl halftime show.