Tupac Shakur’s heirs are ordering Drake to remove a song in which the rapper’s voice is allegedly imitated with artificial intelligence.
Thursday 25 April at 12:33 p.m
Tupac Shakur’s heirs have sent an order to Drake to remove the song “Taylor Made Freestyle” from all platforms by Thursday at 12 noon US time.
This is reported by several American media, including Sky News.
The song, which was posted on Drake’s Instagram on Friday, features verses generated by AI software that mimic the voices of both Shakur and Snoop Dogg.
Not only is the song a violation of Tupac’s rights and his heir’s legal rights, it is also a gross violation of the legacy of one of hip-hop’s greatest artists, says lawyer Howard King in the letter. King represents Shakur’s heirs.
Rapper Tupac Shakur was shot on September 7, 1996 by someone sitting in a passing car, and died six days later in hospital.
The heirs would never have approved such a use, writes King, referring to Drake’s song.
The letter also expresses disgust at the use of the AI-generated Shakur voice in a diss song aimed at Kendrick Lamar, who is described as “a good friend of the heirs”, according to Sky News.
The track is part of an ongoing feud between Drake and Lamar, following the release of “Like That” by Future and Metro Boomin, where guest rapper Lamar claimed he was a better artist than Drake and J Cole, writes The Guardian.
If Drake, whose real name is Aubrey Drake Abraham, does not respond by the deadline, the heirs threaten to sue him, writes NBC News.
“Taylor Made Freestyle” is not currently on streaming services.
The heirs demand that Drake remove the song and pay compensation for financial and reputational damage caused by the unauthorized use of Shakur’s name and voice, writes Sky News.
