Drake Faces Legal Action From Tupac Shakur’s Estate Over AI Diss Track
Canadian rapper Drake finds himself embroiled in a legal battle with the estate of the late rap icon Tupac Shakur following the release of his latest track, “Taylor Made Freestyle,” which features an AI-generated version of Tupac and Snoop Dogg’s voices.
The estate, represented by attorney Howard King, has issued a cease-and-desist letter to Drake, demanding the immediate removal of the track within 24 hours to avoid potential legal repercussions.
The legal team representing Tupac Shakur’s estate expressed deep dismay and disappointment over the unauthorised use of Tupac’s voice and persona in the diss track. The letter emphasised that the use of AI-generated voices against Kendrick Lamar, a close friend of the estate who has consistently shown respect for Tupac’s legacy, compounds the insult and disrespect towards one of hip-hop’s greatest artists.
“The Estate is deeply dismayed and disappointed by your unauthorized use of Tupac’s voice and personality,” attorney Howard King wrote in the letter. “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.”
“The unauthorized, equally dismaying use of Tupac’s voice against Kendrick Lamar, a good friend to the Estate who has given nothing but respect to Tupac and his legacy publicly and privately, compounds the insult,” King continued in the document.
Drake’s song, “Taylor Made Freestyle,” is the latest dig at Kendrick Lamar amid their ongoing feud and features AI-generated voices resembling Shakur and Snoop Dogg.
Drake dropped “Push Ups,” a diss track aimed at Lamar, Metro Boomin, Rick Ross, and the Weeknd on Apr. 19. Shortly after, he followed up with “Taylor Made Freestyle,” sharing snippets of the song on Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter.
In “Taylor Made Freestyle,” the AI voice of Shakur spits out lyrics urging Lamar to retaliate against Drake, saying: “Kendrick, we need ya, the West Coast saviour/engraving your name in some hip-hop history.”
“Taylor Made Freestyle” is currently not available on streaming platforms.
Listen to “Push Up” below:
