As of Thursday evening, April 25, the 'Hotline Bling' hitmaker's Kendrick Lamar diss track, which features the AI of Tupac and Snoop Dogg's voices, has been removed.
- April 26, 2024
AceShowbiz - Drake has granted Tupac Shakur's estate's demand regarding his latest single. After the late rapper's estate threatened to sue him over the use of AI or artificial intelligence on his song, the "Hotline Bling" hitmaker took down the track.
As of Thursday evening, April 25, the -year-old Canadian artist's "Taylor Made Freestyle" has been removed from his social media accounts, where he first released the track. However, he did not offer any information about the removal.
Drake himself launched "Taylor Made Freestyle", a diss track against Kendrick Lamar and a sequel to his "Push Ups". The deleted song is a response to his rival's "Like That". On the single, he features the AI of Tupac's voice.
"Kendrick, we need ya, the West Coast savior/ Engraving your name in some hip-hop history/ If you deal with this viciously," the AI Tupac raps. "You seem a little nervous about all the publicity/ F**k this Canadian lightskin, Dot/ We need a no-debated West Coast victory, man/ Call him a b***h for me."
Upon learning the AI usage on the track, Drake was slammed by Tupac's brother, Mopreme Shakur. Speaking to TMZ, Mopreme condemned the weaponization of his sibling's voice in a feud that the late artist was never a part of.
Later on, Tupac's estate, represented by attorney Howard King, issued a cease-and-desist letter to Drake, giving him 24 hours to take down the controversial song. The estate's litigator expressed deep dismay, stating, "The sstate is deeply dismayed and disappointed by your unauthorized use of Tupac's voice and personality," highlighting the blatant disrespect towards the legacy of one of hip-hop's most revered figures.
Aside from Tupac, Drake features the AI of Snoop Dogg on "Taylor Made Freestyle". The "Drop It Like It's Hot" rapper then reacted to the track in a video shared on Instagram. "They did what!? When? How? Are you sure?" the 52-year-old said. While turning his camera to his Deathrow Records jacket, he stated, "Y'all have a good night, and to all," before bursting into laughter. He added, "Why everyone calling my phone? What happened? I'm going back to bed."
