Tupac Shakur’s estate is reportedly threatening to sue Drake over a recent diss track against Kendrick Lamar that featured an AI-generated version of the late rapper’s voice, calling it a “a flagrant violation” of the law and a “blatant abuse” of his legacy.
In a Wednesday cease-and-desist letter, litigator Howard King told Drake (Aubrey Drake Graham) that he must confirm that he will pull down his “Taylor Made Freestyle” in less than 24 hours or the estate would “pursue all of its legal remedies” against him.
“The Estate is deeply dismayed and disappointed by your unauthorized use of Tupac’s voice and personality,” King wrote in the letter. “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.”
Drake released the song, a follow-up diss track aimed at former collaborator Kendrick Lamar, on Instagram last Friday. "While we wait on you I guess," Drake captioned the clip, seemingly alluding to Lamar's lack of response to Drake's leaked "Push Ups" diss track.
"Kendrick, we need ya, the West Coast saviour/ Engraving your name in some hip-hop history," the Tupac sound-alike raps in "Taylor Made." "If you deal with this viciously/ You seem a little nervous about all the publicity."
In "Like That," off Future and Metro Boomin's "We Don't Trust You" album that released in March, Lamar, who's featured on the track, reignited his and Drake's feud by seemingly taking aim at the Canadian rapper with references to his song "First Person Shooter" and the record it's on, "For All the Dogs."