There’s a But there’s one emerging theme from the scorched earth lyrical battle that’s SFW: the ways in which it’s revealed the increasingly central role of AI in modern music. In the thick of Drake and Lamar’s relentless exchange of The track, “BBL Drizzy,” references a derogatory nickname for the Toronto-born pop star first best verse over this gets a free beatjust upload your song and hashtag #bbldrizzybeatgiveaway https://t.co/YDULmWYm0M— Metro Boomin (@MetroBoomin) May 5, 2024Like so many viral tracks circulating these days, “BBL Drizzy” is an AI-generated beat that transforms modern references into vintage sounds (see: a fake Frank Sinatra A version of the track was first That man has contributed more to hip hop than Drake has ever done— fan account (@Asensii20) May 5, 2024AI found its way into the heart of Drake and Lamar’s dispute long before this weekend, though. In March, one of Drake’s first direct shots at Lamar—a track titled “Taylor Made Freestyle”—included Within days, Shakur’s estate threatened to sue Drake, lambasting the unauthorized use of the deceased rapper’s likeness—particularly to mock Lamar, another prominent West Coast hip-hop star who has long idolized Shakur.“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,” a cease-and-desist letter obtained by Two days later, Drake removed the track from social media. Within a week, Lamar released “Am I battlin’ ghosts or AI?” Lamar rapped, after claiming that Drake is incapable of writing songs without 20-person teams and high-tech assistance.Ironically, Drake has also been on the receiving end of AI-driven drama. Last year, a AI-powered song imitating both his voice and that of fellow musician The Weeknd attracted so much positive attention that it was almost In spite of its artificially enhanced origins, the track “Heart On My Sleeve” was so “Best Drake song in years and he didn’t even write or sing in it,” one YouTube commenter wrote.Edited by Andrew Hayward
