Tupac's Estate Threatens to Sue Drake for AI-Generated Vocals

Tupac Shakur's estate is threatening to sue Drake (Aubrey Drake Graham) for using AI-generated vocals of the late rapper for his diss track, "Taylor Made."

According to a cease-and-desist letter obtained by Billboard, the estate "would have never given its approval" to what it considers as a "blatant abuse of the legacy of one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time."

The Canadian rapper has 24 hours to pull down the song or else the estate would "pursue all of its legal remedies" against him.

"Taylor Made," which was released last Friday, instantly became a viral topic as part of the ongoing feud between Graham and fellow rapper Kendrick Lamar, but also due to the use of AI to replicate the voices of Tupac and Snoop Dogg.

Snoop Dogg (Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr.) has already reacted to the AI-heavy track, remarking "What's going on?... I'm going back to bed."

As of writing, Drake has yet to release a statement in response to the cease-and-desist letter.

Generative AI Becoming More Prevalent in Music Industry

While it seems to be bizarre at first, the case with Tupac's AI-generated voice only follows the growing trend in the music industry becoming more accepting of the technology.

During its earlier days, the use of generative AI first became viral in deepfakes of Drake, Billie Eilish, and other popular musicians.

Earlier this month, multiple music artists like Katy Perry, Eilish, and Nicki Minaj joined the call against the "enormous threats" posed to musicians' privacy, identities, crafts, and livelihood.

At least 200 artists have been noted to join the "Stop Devaluing Music" petition with digital advocacy group Artist Rights Alliance at the lead.

AI Keeps Bringing Back Dead Celebs Despite Copyright Disputes

Other than popular figures of today, deceased personalities are usually the common target of AI exploitation due to the gray area of legality involved in the process.

Although some AI firms have ensured the express permission of the estate or the remaining family of the deceased with rightful compensation, most cases involve people using their likenesses without any authorization.

Several estates of dead musicians and celebrities already came forward to crack down on the unauthorized digital replication of artists' likenesses for commercial use.