Tupac Shakur’s estate has said it will sue Drake unless he removes Taylor Made Freestyle, a song that features the late rapper’s AI-generated vocal.
The diss track, which also features the artificially made voice of Snoop Dogg, was released on April 19 and takes aim at Kendrick Lamar.
A cease and desist (an order with the threat of legal action) was sent by litigator Howard King on behalf of the Shakur estate saying Drake has 24 hours to take it down.
Tupac died in 1996, six days after being shot while driving in Los Angeles. His manager, Suge Knight, was also hit but recovered.
In the letter, seen by Billboard, Mr King wrote: “The estate is deeply dismayed and disappointed by your unauthorised use of Tupac’s voice and personality.
“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.”
Both Pac and Snoop Dogg are known to be heroes of Lamar.
Taylor Made Freestyle is thought to be a continuation of the feud that started with Lamar’s verse on Like That alongside Metro Boomin’.
The ins and outs are fully explained here but, in the song, Lamar sought to elevate himself ahead of his peers, which prompted both Drake and J Cole to hit back.
While J Cole has now apologised and deleted his song Seven Minute Drill, Drake has not backed down.
Mr King continued: “The unauthorised, 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.”
As of Thursday afternoon, with the deadline approaching, Taylor Made Freestyle remains on streaming platforms and Drake has not publicly commented.
