Drake‘s defamation case against Universal Music Group (UMG), concerning Kendrick Lamar‘s diss track “Not Like Us,” has been dismissed by a US federal court.

District Judge Jeannette Vargas highlighted the importance of contextualizing the rap battle to understand the song’s lyrics. She elaborated that diss tracks, by nature, are not perceived by listeners as fact-based investigations or sources of verified information.

The judge also pointed out that the tone and language of the track make it implausible for any reasonable audience to interpret its content as factual statements.

The court also rejected Drake’s interpretation of Lamar’s lyric “Rabbit hole is still deep, I can go further, I promise” as implying evidence supporting accusations of pedophilia. Judge Vargas stated that this reading of the lyric is far from obvious and added that no reasonable listener would interpret it that way given the broader context of the song.

A representative from UMG expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision, calling the lawsuit an attack on artistic freedom and creativity.

“From the outset, this suit was an affront to all artists and their creative expression and never should have seen the light of day,” a UMG rep said in a statement. “We’re pleased with the court’s dismissal and look forward to continuing our work successfully promoting Drake’s music and investing in his career.”

Drake’s team, however, plans to challenge the ruling. They issued a statement saying, “We intend to appeal today’s ruling and we look forward to the Court of Appeals reviewing it.”

Drake accused UMG of defamation for releasing and promoting “Not Like Us,” which included a line labeling him a “Certified Lover Boy, certified pedophile.” He argued that UMG favored profits over protecting its artists by allowing Lamar to release a track with false and harmful allegations.