Drake shook up the rap game with his follow-up diss track “Taylor Made Freestyle,” where he tries to provoke Kendrick Lamar to respond to him through taunting lyrics by West Coast rap icons Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg. The song, which was shared on social media, begins with verses by Tupac and Snoop Dogg courtesy of Drizzy using artificial intelligence. Drake comes in on the third verse without any A.I. vocal manipulation.
Drake’s usage of A.I. for “Taylor Made Freestyle” has sparked mixed reactions on social media with some people finding it creative while others didn’t like that he used a deceased rapper to go at K-Dot.
“I can’t believe yall ok with the Canadian rapper using an AI Tupac. Manipulating the deceased voice with your own words for beef is the corniest s**t I have ever seen,” wrote one person on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Ngl Tupac would have hated Drake.”
Another fan chimed in: “Nah, Drake really railroaded Tupac and Snoop into the war via AI? This diss is flagrant…”
However, some people thought it was a brilliant move on the 6 God.
“Drake just dropped a diss track using Tupac and Snoop Dogg AI vocals. This is brilliant, innovative, and hilarious,” wrote an X user.
One person had an interesting take on Drake’s usage of A.I. He wrote: “Kendrick is on no clock. Drake’s taunting is enough to show that he wants Kendrick to jump in with a rushed record when his internet shenanigans have reached their peak. It’s easier to control the narrative when bots, loyal fans, music articles, memes, podcasters and streamers are portraying you as the winner.”
As for Snoop Dogg, it’s unclear if he knew about Drake using A.I. Tupac. Since Drizzy’s posting of his diss track, the rap veteran posted a video on his Instagram page showing that he seems unbothered by the brouhaha surrounding the Toronto rap star using the late Tupac’s voice. “They did what? When? How? Are you sure?” he asked. “Y’all have a good night.”
Kendrick Lamar Had Used A.I. Tupac for “Mortal Man”
Many fans have compared Drake’s securing an imaginary ‘Pac feature to Kendrick using the late rhymer’s vocals on the concluding track “Mortal Man” on his 2015 album, To Pimp a Butterfly. On that song, the Compton, Calif. lyricist utilizes archived audio recordings of Tupac to engage in a virtual dialogue with the deceased artist.
Although not the same thing, Kendrick sparked backlash for using CGI to manipulate his face into different celebrities in his “The Heart Part 5” music video in 2022. In the visual, Kendrick’s face transforms into the deepfakes of various celebrities such as Kanye West, Will Smith, Jussie Smollett and deceased legends Kobe Bryant, Nipsey Hussle and the late O.J. Simpson. The deepfake technology employed in Kendrick Lamar’s video utilizes a form of artificial intelligence known as deep learning to modify facial expressions and voices.
So Is A.I. Technology Good for Hip-Hop?
As the entertainment industry continues to grapple with the use of A.I. technology, the ongoing debate over how to address fans and artists using it has no clear resolutions.
Case in point: A.I.’s potential threat and leaks have become problematic in hip-hop’s most significant rap battle event: Drake vs. Everybody. On April 13, 2024, a new Drake diss song leaked and had the internet going nuts. The track finds Drizzy returning fire at Kendrick Lamar, Future, Metro Boomin, Rick Ross and The Weeknd. However, there were initially some reservations about the track from fans and media. The initial song wasn’t available on streaming services, which led some to speculate that it was A.I.-generated. However, when a mastered version of the song was released, and Drake mentioned it on social media, people became convinced of its authenticity. A week later, Drake officially dropped his diss track “Push Ups” on all streaming platforms.
Meanwhile, a fan claimed to have made an A.I. Kendrick Lamar diss track, which confused fans in thinking that K-Dot really responded to Drake.
As the technology advances, it’s becoming difficult to tell real songs from those that have been computer-generated. For rap fans, the introduction of A.I.-generated songs in the Drake and Kendrick Lamar rap battle have diminished the excitement and authenticity of the event. And that’s not good for hip-hop.
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