Sheryl Crow has taken a strong stance against Drake’s use of an AI-generated voice of Tupac Shakur in his latest diss track aimed at Kendrick Lamar.
The 62-year-old singer-songwriter voiced her disapproval of the 37-year-old rapper’s decision to feature the late 1990s West Coast rapper’s voice in his ‘Taylor Made Freestyle’.
In an interview with the BBC, Crow emphasized the ethical issues surrounding the use of AI to recreate deceased individuals’ voices.
“You cannot bring people back from the dead and believe that they would stand for that,” she stated.
Crow criticized Drake’s apparent belief that he could apologize after the fact, stressing that such actions are disrespectful and harmful to Tupac’s legacy.
She remarked, “It’s hateful. It is antithetical to the life force that exists in all of us.”
This incident is not the first time Drake’s track has faced backlash. Tupac’s estate had already threatened legal action over the use of his voice.
According to Rolling Stone, the estate’s attorney, Howard King, issued a cease-and-desist letter to Drake, demanding that the song be taken down within 24 hours or face legal repercussions.
The letter accused Drake of a “flagrant violation of Tupac’s publicity and the estate’s legal rights,” calling his actions a “blatant abuse of the legacy of one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time.”
Despite being released only on social media and not on streaming platforms, Drake’s song has still managed to attract significant attention.
Related: Tupac Shakur’s estate threatens to sue Drake over Kendrick Lamar diss track
