Drake uses AI-generated Tupac voice - Sharp criticism from Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow (62) criticized the behavior of her music colleague Drake (37) in an interview. The singer is currently involved in a feud with Kendrick Lamar (37) and released a diss track called "Taylor Made Freestyle" in April. This song contains a verse featuring the digitally generated voice of the late rapper Tupac Shakur (1971-1996). "It's full of hate. It goes against the life force that's in all of us," Crow commented to the BBC about the track.
The song was quickly taken down after its release due to threats of a lawsuit from Tupac's heirs. "You can't bring someone back from the dead and expect people to accept it," the rock singer further criticized. Drake had counted on the fact that an apology would make everything forgotten, but "it's already happened, and people will find it, even if he takes it down again."
"Blatant Misuse of Legacy"
"Taylor Made Freestyle," which also featured Snoop Dogg's (52) digitally generated voice, is one of the songs that came about in the feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar. Tupac is portrayed as an ally of Kendrick Lamar's enemy in the song. The estate of the deceased rapper was not in agreement with the use of Tupac's singing.
In a letter from attorney Howard King, obtained by "People," the action is described as "blatant misuse of the legacy of one of the greatest Hip-Hop artists of all time" and emphasizes that the estate "never gave its consent for the use of Tupac's voice." King urged Drake to "be aware of the harm that unauthorized AI imitations can cause to artists, including yourself."
Sheryl Crow calls for action
Sheryl Crow has criticized the use of artificial intelligence in the music industry in the past - she even wrote a whole song about it called "Evolution." In a guest post in "The Hollywood Reporter," she urged the US Congress to "act now" and take action against AI in music. "It's wrong to manipulate an artist's image, voice, words, or art as if it comes from them," wrote the multiple Grammy Award winner.
Artificial intelligence plays an increasingly larger role in the music industry. On June 24, the American music industry trade association RIAA filed a lawsuit against two startups that allow users to create music pieces. The AI software used for this purpose utilized copyrighted songs from well-known musicians.
Drake's use of an AI-generated Tupac Shakur voice in his song with Kendrick Lamar sparked criticism from Sheryl Crow, who called it a "blatant misuse of the legacy" of the late rapper. In her song "Evolution," Crow has previously expressed her concerns about the use of artificial intelligence in the music industry. The estate of Tupac Shakur also opposed the use of his digitally generated voice in the track, as stated in a letter by attorney Howard King.
