Drake Removes ‘Taylor Made Freestyle,’ Featuring AI Tupac Shakur Vocals, From Social Media After Threat of Lawsuit
variety.comSteven J. Horowitz Senior Music Writer After Tupac Shakur’s estate threatened to sue him for using the late rapper’s AI vocals on his song “Taylor Made Freestyle,” Drake has removed the track from his social media profiles.
Drake initially posted the song, a diss track towards Kendrick Lamar, on April 19, featuring computer-generated verses from the late Shakur and Snoop Dogg.
On Wednesday, litigator Howard King, who reps Shakur’s estate, released a statement to Billboard claiming it sent a cease-and-desist to Drake to pull down the track. “The Estate is deeply dismayed and disappointed by your unauthorized use of Tupac’s voice and personality,” King wrote. “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.” On “Taylor Made Freestyle,” an AI Shakur raps directly to Lamar, who ignited a hip-hop feud last month with a guest verse on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That.” “Kendrick we need ya, the West Coast savior / Engraving your name in some hip-hop history,” raps Shakur. “Call him a bitch for me / Talk about him liking young girls as a gift for me.” Snoop Dogg vaguely addressed the use of his AI vocals shortly after the song hit social media, posting a video where he spoke directly to the camera. “They did what?
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