Drake Faces Legal Threats Over AI-Generated Tupac Voice in Diss Track

Drake, a Canadian rapper, is facing legal action from Tupac Shakur’s estate over a diss track that purportedly used an AI-generated voice to mimic Shakur.

Drake took the line Friday and shared a song titled “Taylor Made Freestyle,” including taking shots at rapper Kendrick Lamar. He also likely used a voice from a generator of rapper Snoop Dogg, along with verses from Drake.

In that disputed track, the purported Shakur voice says, “You asked for the smoke; now it seems you are too busy for the smoke.”

According to Billboard, the estate had sent a letter to Drake, asking him to take down the freestyle from social media within 24 hours or else prepare himself for a legal battle. Howard King, the late rapper’s lawyer, expressed his disappointment over the unlawful use of Shakur’s voice, claiming it violated his legal rights and disrespected his heritage.

The Drake track comes after the release of Future’s and Metro Boomin’s joint album last month, which also included Lamar on the song “Like That,” in which Lamar appears to criticize Drake and J. Cole.

King noted the insult in using Shakur’s own voice against Lamar, who was honoring Shakur’s own legacy. With AI having entered the music production process, this has come in tow with the unauthorized cloning of an artist’s voice, presenting a threat to possible copyright and personality rights violations.