The estate of Tupac Shakur has issued a cease-and-desist letter to Drake regarding his recent diss track aimed at Kendrick Lamar, which includes an AI-generated version of Tupac's voice. The letter, penned by litigator Howard King and obtained exclusively by Billboard, gives Drake 24 hours to remove the "Taylor Made Freestyle" track or face legal action.
King's letter expresses the estate's dismay and disappointment over Drake's unauthorized use of Tupac's voice and persona. It asserts that the track violates Tupac's publicity rights and abuses his legacy as one of hip-hop's greatest artists. The estate emphasizes that it would never have approved such usage.
Drake's song, released last Friday, sparked controversy for using AI technology to simulate verses from Tupac and Snoop Dogg, both revered figures from the West Coast hip-hop scene, with which Kendrick Lamar is associated.
In the letter, Tupac's estate points explicitly out the disrespect in using Tupac's voice to take jabs at Lamar, who is regarded as a friend to the estate and has shown respect for Tupac publicly and privately.
Drake's representative declined to comment on the demands from Tupac's estate. At the same time, it remains uncertain whether Snoop Dogg, whose voice was also featured on the track, will raise similar legal objections. Snoop's reaction to the song on social media suggests he was unaware of it, but his representative did not respond to requests for comment.
