As reported by The Guardian, the estate of the late Tupac Shakur has reportedly sent a cease and desist letter to Drake over a new track that features an AI version of the artist’s voice. The song, titled “Taylor Made Freestyle”, uses Shakur's voice to attack fellow rapper Kendrick Lamar. As seen on Billboard, the estate has demanded that Drake remove the track within 24 hours or face legal action. Lawyer Howard King, who represents the Shakur estate, said in the letter that the use of the rapper's voice was "unauthorized" and a "flagrant violation" of the estate's legal rights.
"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 … 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."
Drake's track is part of an ongoing feud with Lamar, which began with the release of the song “Like That” by Future and Metro Boomin. Lamar claimed he was a superior artist to Drake and J Cole, which prompted Drake to respond with insults on a diss track called “Push Ups”. The feud continued with “Taylor Made Freestyle”, which features Shakur's voice berating Lamar for not responding to “Push Ups”.
Drake's use of AI technology to create a convincing representation of Shakur's voice has sparked debate about the use of AI in music. Last year, an AI likeness of Drake's voice, alongside one of The Weeknd's, was used in a track called “Heart On My Sleeve" by producer Ghostwriter977.
Universal Music Group had the track removed from streaming services, saying AI tracks "demonstrate why platforms have a fundamental legal and ethical responsibility to prevent the use of their services in ways that harm artists."
As the refinement of AI technology rapidly increases, allowing users to seamlessly construct accurate simulations of artists, some politicians are working to protect artists' rights. In March, the state of Tennessee passed the Ensuring Likeness, Voice, and Image Security (ELVIS) Act which prohibits the use of AI to replicate an artist without their consent. Country star Luke Bryan was among those supporting the legislation, saying: "Stuff comes in on my phone and I can't tell it's not me. It's a real deal now and hopefully this will curb it and slow it down."
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