Canadian rapper Drake has taken down a track from his Instagram account after facing legal threats from the estate of late hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur over the use of AI-generated voices.
The song, titled Taylor Made Freestyle, featured AI-generated versions of Tupac and fellow rapper Snoop Dogg. However, it vanished from Drake’s account on Thursday following reports that Tupac’s estate had demanded its removal within 24 hours.
Howard King, a lawyer representing Tupac’s estate, reportedly sent a cease-and-desist letter to Drake, describing the track as a “flagrant violation” of the law and an “abuse” of Tupac’s legacy. The letter warned of legal action if the track was not removed promptly.
Neither Drake nor representatives for Tupac’s estate have commented publicly since the removal of the track.
Taylor Made Freestyle was part of an ongoing diss track battle between Drake and rival Kendrick Lamar. The AI-generated lines in the song targeted Lamar, with Tupac’s estate expressing disappointment over the use of his voice in this context.
“The unauthorized, 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,” King wrote.
Tupac Shakur, also known as 2Pac, was a celebrated figure in hip-hop, with millions of records sold worldwide. His tragic death in 1996 at the age of 25 left a huge impact on the music industry.
