Drake removes his Taylor Made freestyle – featuring AI-generated verses from 2pac and Snoop Dogg – off of social media platforms.
We previously reported that Tupac’s estate sent a cease-and-desist letter to Drake stating 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,” litigator Howard 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.”
“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.
Snoop Dogg also had a reaction hearing his voice on the Kendrick Lamar diss track. “They did what? When? How? Are you sure? [Sigh] Y’all have a good night. Why everybody calling my phone, blowing me up? What the fuck, what happened? What’s going on? I’m going back to bed. Good night.”
Elsewhere in the cease and desist letter it stated, “If you comply, the estate will consider whether an informal negotiation to resolve this matter makes sense,” King wrote. “If you do not comply, our client has authorized this firm to pursue all of its legal remedies including, but not limited to, an action for violation of … the estate’s copyright, publicity and personality rights and the resulting damages, injunctive relief, and punitive damages and attorneys’ fees.”