On Friday, April 19, award-winning music artist, Drake, dropped a social media release of his second single of the week, titled “Taylor-Made Freestyle.” Drake released the song in response to “Like That” by Kendrick Lamar, Future, and Metro Boomin, in which Lamar took several shots at Drake, claiming his album was “weak” and that Lamar is the greatest rapper of the 2010s. Drake is known for rapping on contemporary beats and using samples of other songs as the melody, but decidedly took a different turn with this song by using a more instrumental beat, as well as AI contributions.
The feud between Drake and Lamar dates back to 2013, when rapper Big Sean featured Lamar on the song “Control.” Around the time “Control” dropped, Lamar was an emerging artist, and in the song, he says he “has love for Drake, but wants to murder him along with many other rappers.” This started a friendly competition between Lamar and Drake, yet as time passed, the lyrics became increasingly personal in the back and forth.
“Taylor-Made Freestyle” features a 90s-style hip-hop beat, accompanied by melodic piano keys and loud reverberating bass. The song surprisingly features two AI appearances, where Drake uses the voices of Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg, whom Lamar has publicly stated to be his role models.
AI Tupac starts the first verse, rapping about Drake and advising Lamar to clap back at Drake. “You asked for the smoke, now it seem you too busy for the smoke / I won’t lie, the people confused / Now you ’bout to give this s— another week? / And fall back to home girl who runnin’ numbers up? I woulda refused.” In these pointed lyrics, Drake suggests that Kendrick Lamar is taking extended lengths of time to respond to Drake’s lyrical jabs.
AI Snoop Dogg follows in the second verse, poking fun at Lamar for not responding to Drake. “Now’s a time to really make a power move / ’Cause right now it’s looking like you writing’ out the game plan on how to lose / How to bark up the wrong tree and then get your head popped in a crowded room / World is watching this chess game, but are you out of moves?” Drake uses the voice of Snoop Dogg to remark on his opinion that Lamar is in over his head in this feud and that he is playing a losing game with Drake.
In the third verse, Drake finally raps as himself, declaring that Taylor Swift behaves like Anthony Tiffith, the head of Lamar’s old record label. Drake draws the comparison due to the way Tiffith controls Lamar’s album releases, forming them around other artists’ release dates, including Taylor Swift, who recently dropped her eleventh studio album. Drake suggests that Swift, as Tiffith, makes all of Kendrick’s decisions for him, as seen in the lyrics, “The first one really only took me an hour or two / The next one is really ’bout to bring out the coward in you / But now we gotta wait a f—-n’ week ‘cause Taylor Swift is your new Top / And if you ’bout to drop, she gotta approve.”
In the outro, Drake declares his respect for Taylor Swift by saying, “Yeah shout out to Taylor Swift / Biggest gangster in the music game right now.” Utilizing the comparison and shout-out side-by-side, Drake symbolizes his respect towards Taylor Swift, and his disregard for Lamar’s musical career.
“Taylor-Made Freestyle” represents the first time a major artist has used AI to mimic other artists’ voices. On April 25, following the social media release, Drake removed the song from his social media platforms, after Tupac’s estate issued a cease-and-desist and threatened a lawsuit. The re-creation and use of the artist’s voice for profit was denounced by the estate, stating it is “a blatant abuse of the legacy of one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time.” Mimicking individuals through the use of AI is perceived as generally in bad taste, yet the utilization of AI voices in Drake’s new song is considered pioneering work, as Drake uses Lamar’s two idols to taunt him.
“Taylor-Made Freestyle” is a departure from Drake’s usual style, exchanging his typical contemporary tone for 90’s style rap beats. Drake’s lyrical entendres and digs at Lamar add entertaining qualities to the song and proves it to be a memorable addition to the artist’s discography. With the creative incorporation of AI and a fantastic beat, “Taylor-Made Freestyle” earns four out of five feathers.
