Tupac Shakur's estate is threatening to take Drake to court following his use of an AI-generated version of the late rapper's voice.
Litigator Howard King has informed Drake that he must take down his "Taylor Made Freestyle" due to its "flagrant violation" of the law, Billboard reports. The song features the voices of Tupac and Snoop Dogg, both of which were made with AI.
King states that Drake must take the track down in less than twenty-four hours, threatening to "pursue all of its legal remedies" for what he calls a "blatant abuse" of the artist's legacy.
"The Estate is deeply dismayed and disappointed by your unauthorized use of Tupac's voice and personality," 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 track is another jab in the "God's Plan" singer's beef with Kendrick Lamar. While also firing shots at Taylor Swift, Drake chose the voices of Snoop and Tupac since Lamar looks up to them as idols.
"Kendrick, we need ya, the West Coast savior / Engraving your name in some hip-hop history," the AI-generated voice of Tupac raps in the song. "If you deal with this viciously / You seem a little nervous about all the publicity."
Taylor Made Freestyle pic.twitter.com/OrcdsIb8Wf
— Drizzy (@Drake) April 20, 2024
Tupac's estate states that Lamar has been a "good friend" to the late rapper's estate, always treating him with respect. They are uniformly disappointed that his voice would be used as a weapon in this feud.
"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 wrote.
Snoop Dogg has not said much about being pulled in the battle. While he has not yet threatened any sort of legal action, he took to social media to share a video of his reaction when he first learned of the song, where he says: "They did what? When? How? Are you sure?"
Drake only posted the song on his X, formerly Twitter, account. It was not shared to any streaming services.
The legal trouble comes amid a streak of controversy regarding Drake's work within the music industry. Earlier this week, the Pet Shop Boys stated that Drake was not given formal permission to use their song "West End Girls" in a recent single.
The track is featured in the song "All the Parties ft. Chief Keef," off of the Canadian rapper's 2023 album, For All the Dogs.
"Surprising to hear Drake singing the chorus of 'West End Girls' in the track 'All the Parties' on his new album. No credit given or permission requested," the duo said, revealing that they were surprised to hear the sample.
Drake has not publicly responded to the legal action threatened against him by Tupac Shakur's estate.
