Drake has been forced to remove his latest diss track aimed at Kendrick Lamar after receiving a cease and desist letter from Tupac Shakur’s estate. The estate claimed that Drake used an AI likeness of Tupac’s voice without their permission. The track, called ‘Taylor Made Freestyle’, was released last Friday and was the latest chapter in the ongoing feud between the two rappers. Kendrick had seemingly targeted Drake in an uncredited verse on Future’s ‘Like That’, which led to Drake releasing two diss tracks. However, Drake’s use of Tupac’s voice was the final straw.
According to Variety, Drake has removed the track from his social media accounts, but fan-uploaded versions of the song remain on YouTube and TikTok. Tupac’s estate labeled the track a “flagrant violation of Tupac’s publicity and the estate’s legal rights” and said they would never have approved it. Howard King, attorney for Tupac’s estate, called the use of Tupac’s voice a “blatant abuse of the legacy of one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time.”
California law is unclear on the use of AI in music, but the use of Tupac’s voice “should be protected” against use for advertising and musical compositions, according to a legal expert at PEOPLE. However, because Drake never placed ‘Taylor Made Freestyle’ on streaming services, he may be exempt from legal charges on copyright grounds. Last year, AI versions of Drake and The Weeknd’s voices were used on a viral track called ‘Heart On My Sleeve’, which was removed from all platforms after Universal Music Group intervened. Drake’s voice was also used to imitate rapper Ice Spice in a viral meme, prompting Drake to say “This is the final straw”.
This latest incident is yet another example of a complex legal issue arising from the use of AI in music. Furthermore, it has caused tension in the already heated feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar. Given that laws governing use of AI in music are unclear, it remains to be seen whether this kind of issue will continue to arise
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