Tupac Shakur’s estate threatens to sue Drake over AI vocals

Lawyers say the AI generation of Tupac’s voice is disrespectful to the iconic rapper’s legacy.


Pop Culture & Art April 25, 2024

The estate of Tupac Shakur has issued a cease and desist letter to Drake, demanding the removal of "Taylor Made Freestyle," a diss track aimed at Kendrick Lamar that includes a verse from an AI-generated version of Tupac.

Rolling Stone reported it had obtained the letter, sent by the estate's lawyer Howard King on Wednesday. It claims that Drake's use of AI Tupac was unauthorised and violates Tupac's publicity and the estate's legal rights.

The letter also states that the use of AI Tupac is disrespectful to Shakur's legacy and threatens legal action if the song is not removed within 24 hours.

The lawyer noted that the song received over one million streams and sparked daily media coverage across major national press outlets and entertainment websites.

King also expressed the estate's disapproval of using Tupac's vocals to disrespect Kendrick Lamar, who is described as a close friend to the estate and someone who has consistently shown respect for Tupac and his legacy.

Snoop Dogg, whose AI-generated vocals are also included in the track, shared a lighthearted response on Instagram, expressing his surprise at hearing himself in the song.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by snoopdogg (@snoopdogg)

"Taylor Made Freestyle" was released on Drake's Instagram last Friday.

 

COMMENTS

Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ