2pac Shakur’s estate threatens to sue Drake after he released a freestyle which featured an AI-generated verse from the late rapper.
According to Billboard the 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.
Drake is said to have wrote all three verses in the freestyle including A.I. Tupac. As Tupac, Drake raps: “We need an undebated west coast victory, man / Call him a bitch for me.”
The letter is demanding “written confirmation” by noon Pacific on Thursday that Drake’s representatives were “expeditiously taking all steps necessary to have it removed.”
“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.”