Drake could be in legal trouble for allegedly using an “unauthorized” AI-generated version of Tupac Shakur’s voice on his latest diss track, which targets Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar.
According to Rolling Stone, Howard King — the lawyer representing Tupac’s estate — sent Drake a cease-and-desist letter ordering him to take down his song “Taylor Made Freestyle” for “flagrant violation of Tupac’s publicity and the estate’s legal rights.”
The song also used an AI-generated version of Snoop Dogg’s voice, but it’s not known if Snoop or his team was made aware that Drake was including it on the track.
The letter also noted that the AI-generated version of the late rap legend’s voice was a “blatant abuse of the legacy of one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time.”
King said that if Drake failed to take down the song within 24 hours, Tupac’s estate would pursue legal action.
Drake released “Taylor Made Freestyle” on social media last week, and it was the latest in the messy back-and-forth rap beef between the Toronto rapper and a slew of other artists, including Kendrick Lamar, Future, and Rick Ross.
While Drake didn’t officially release the song on streaming platforms, King argued that it still garnered over one million streams.
Further, King said that Kendrick Lamar is a “good friend” of Shakur’s estate who has “given nothing but respect to [the late rapper] and his legacy…”
Rolling Stone highlighted that the alleged use of Shakur’s unauthorized AI-generated voice points to a looming issue in the music industry: using AI tools to recreate the sounds of real artists “without proper licensing or credit.”
Last year, an AI-generated song titled “Heart on My Sleeve” made headlines for deep-faking voices of Drake and fellow Canadian artist The Weeknd.
The song was even submitted for the Grammys for Best Rap Song and Song of the Year, but the Recording Academy later clarified that it was not eligible for an award.
Drake’s camp has reportedly not responded to the allegations brought forward by Shakur’s estate.