NEW YORK — A defamation lawsuit that Drake brought against Universal Music Group was tossed out Thursday by a federal judge who said lyrics branding the superstar as a pedophile in Kendrick Lamar’s dis track “Not Like Us” were opinion.

Judge Jeannette A. Vargas rejected the suit in a written opinion that began by citing “the vitriolic war of words” that erupted in spring 2024 and saying the case arose “from perhaps the most infamous rap battle in the genre’s history.”

The case stemmed from an epic feud between two of hip-hop’s biggest stars over one of 2024 biggest songs, which won record of the year and song of the year at the Grammys, got the most Apple Music streams worldwide and helped make this year’s Super Bowl halftime show the most watched ever.

Vargas said a reasonable listener

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