Watch Latin American Music Awards
After Tupac Shakur’s estate threatened to sue him for using the late rapper’s AI vocals on his song “Taylor Made Freestyle,” Drake has removed the track from his social media profiles.
Drake initially posted the song, a diss track towards Kendrick Lamar, on April 19, featuring computer-generated verses from the late Shakur and Snoop Dogg. On Wednesday, litigator Howard King, who reps Shakur’s estate, released a statement to Billboard claiming it sent a cease-and-desist to Drake to pull down the track.
“The Estate is deeply dismayed and disappointed by your unauthorized use of Tupac’s voice and personality,” King wrote. “Not only is the record a flagrant violation of Tupac’s publicity and the estate’s legal rights, it is also a blatant abuse of the legacy of one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time. The Estate would never have given its approval for this use.”
On “Taylor Made Freestyle,” an AI Shakur raps directly to Lamar, who ignited a hip-hop feud last month with a guest verse on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That.” “Kendrick we need ya, the West Coast savior / Engraving your name in some hip-hop history,” raps Shakur. “Call him a bitch for me / Talk about him liking young girls as a gift for me.”
Snoop Dogg vaguely addressed the use of his AI vocals shortly after the song hit social media, posting a video where he spoke directly to the camera. “They did what? When? How? Are you sure?” he said.
Drake’s “Taylor Made Freestyle” was the latest in the ongoing beef between what’s now become a litany of rappers. “Like That” arrived as a response to “First Person Shooter,” a collaboration between Drake and J. Cole included on last year’s “For All the Dogs.” On that song, Cole included Lamar in the “big three” alongside himself and Drake.
Lamar took issue with the designation, and fired back on “Like That.” Cole released his own response record, “7 Minute Drill,” shortly after, but soon regretted it and removed the track from streaming services. Drake threw his hat into the ring with the release of “Push Ups,” which at first was believed to be created by AI but inevitably was confirmed by its release on DSPs.
