Sheryl Crow blasts Drake and AI in music, calls it "Hateful" and "Antithetical to Life"

Sheryl Crow, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, voiced her strong disapproval of the music industry's increasing reliance on artificial intelligence (AI) in a recent interview with the BBC. She specifically criticized Drake for using AI-generated vocals of the late rapper Tupac Shakur in his song "Taylor Made Freestyle."

Crow condemned Drake's actions, stating, "You cannot bring people back from the dead and believe that they would stand for that." She further described the use of AI in such a manner as "hateful" and "antithetical to the life force that exists in all of us."

While Drake eventually removed the song following a cease-and-desist letter from Tupac's estate, Crow believes the damage is done. She expressed concern over the broader implications of AI in music, recalling a personal experience where a friend used AI to mimic John Mayer's vocals on a demo song.

Crow described her reaction to the AI-generated vocals as "terrifying," stating she was "literally hyperventilating." She emphasized the "slippery slope" of AI and its potential to undermine the very foundation of human creativity and authenticity in music.

Drake's "Taylor Made Freestyle" featured an AI-generated verse portraying Tupac as an ally to Kendrick Lamar, with whom Drake was feuding. Tupac's estate vehemently opposed the song, deeming it a "flagrant violation" of Tupac's publicity rights and the estate's legal rights.

In a cease-and-desist letter to Drake, attorney Howard King emphasized the potential harm of unauthorized AI impersonations and called the song a "blatant abuse of the legacy of one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time."