Drake’s “Taylor Made Freestyle” has been modified by a fan on social media, substituting the Toronto rapper’s verse of 2Pac and Snoop Dogg’s A.I. with the rapper’s vocals. On April 19, Drake released the song as a DJ track directed by Kendrick Lamar. However, he quickly removed it after receiving a threat of legal action from 2Pac’s estate. Fans have shown their support for the video in large numbers in the YouTube comments area. The fan-made remix quickly gained popularity on social media, with many praising the creativity and skill of the person who made it. Despite the controversy surrounding the original song’s release, it sparked a conversation about the intersection of music, fandom, and intellectual property rights.
A blatant exploitation of the legacy of one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time, the song was condemned by 2Pac’s estate as “a flagrant violation of Tupac’s publicity and the estate’s legal rights.” “The estate would never have given its approval for this use,” their attorney said in a subsequent statement. Compounded with the insult is the unapproved and equally appalling use of Tupac’s voice against Kendrick Lamar, a close friend of the estate who has shown Tupac and his memory nothing but respect in public and private.
The feud between Drake and Lamar escalated quickly, with both artists using their music to take shots at each other. Fans of both artists eagerly awaited each new diss track, fueling the rivalry even further. Drake then released other tracks that were directed at Lamar, like “The Heart Part 6” and “Family Matters,” after “Taylor Made Freestyle” was published. Lamar also released many diss tracks, including “Not Like Us” and “Meet the Grahams.”
Someone used AI to add Drake's voice back to Taylor Made Freestyle after Drake used it to change his voice to Pac and Snoop. What a time to be alive. https://t.co/xqa39gPKMB
— twitch.tv/BDolanOfficial (@BDolanSFR) May 19, 2024
