Entertainment Music Rap & Hip Hop Sheryl Crow Calls Out Drake for 'Hateful' Use of AI-Generated Tupac Vocals on 'Taylor Made Freestyle' "You cannot bring people back from the dead and believe that they would stand for that," said Crow of Drake's recent and since-deleted song By Jack Irvin Jack Irvin Jack Irvin has over five years of experience working in digital journalism, and he’s worked at PEOPLE since 2022. Jack started in the industry with internships at Rolling Stone and Entertainment Tonight, and he worked as a freelance writer for publications including Bustle, MTV News, Shondaland, L’Officiel USA, Ladygunn, Flood and PopCrush before joining PEOPLE. In his current role, Jack covers daily music news and has interviewed both up-and-coming and established artists including Dolly Parton, Michelle Branch, Ashanti, Cyndi Lauper, Normani, Carly Rae Jepsen and Coco Jones. People Editorial Guidelines Published on June 26, 2024 05:00PM EDT Sheryl Crow; Drake; Tupac Shakur. Photo: Lester Cohen/Getty; Gregory Pace/Shutterstock; Raymond Boyd/Getty Artificial intelligence has no place in music, according to Sheryl Crow. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member opened up to the BBC in a new interview about her fears regarding the music industry's use of the technology — and took aim at Drake utilizing AI-generated vocals from the late Tupac Shakur in his recent song, "Taylor Made Freestyle." "You cannot bring people back from the dead and believe that they would stand for that," Crow, 62, told the outlet of Drake's song, a Kendrick Lamar diss track (also featuring an AI verse from Snoop Dogg) uploaded to social media on April 19. Drake Removes 'Taylor Made Freestyle' Diss Track from IG After Tupac's Estate Threatened Lawsuit over AI Verse Drake, Snoop Dogg, Tupac. Kevin Winter/Getty; Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty; Raymond Boyd/Getty Tupac's estate quickly took issue with the use of his voice and issued a cease-and-desist letter demanding the song be taken down. Drake, 37, then removed the song on April 26 — but Crow doesn't think such actions solve the problem at-large. "I’m sure Drake thought, ‘Yeah, I shouldn't do it, but I'll say sorry later’. But it’s already done, and people will find it even if he takes it down," said the "If It Makes You Happy" singer. "It's hateful. It is antithetical to the life force that exists in all of us." Crow also recalled beginning to feel especially wary about AI after a young songwriter friend used the technology to insert faux vocals from John Mayer onto a demo song in order to make the track more enticing after struggling to get people to listen to it. Sheryl Crow. Jason Kempin/Getty Images Sheryl Crow Reveals Why Billy Joel Turned Down Suggestion to Tour with Her and Lionel Richie: 'I Only Do 2 Shows a Month' She expressed thinking of AI as a "slippery slope" as well as "a betrayal" that "goes against everything humanity is based on," adding that she felt so "terrified" upon hearing the Mayer vocal dupe that she was "literally hyperventilating." "I know John and I know the nuances of his voice," said Crow. "And there would be no way you’d have been able to tell that he was not singing that song." Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up to date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Drake; Tupac. Karwai Tang/WireImage; Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Drake's "Taylor Made Freestyle" featured an AI verse portraying Tupac as an ally to Lamar, whom the Canadian rapper was feuding with. The late rapper's estate took issue with the song, as a letter sent by lawyer Howard King that's been obtained by PEOPLE claimed that Drake's use of his voice was a "flagrant violation of Tupac’s publicity and the estate’s legal rights." At the time, King said "Taylor Made Freestyle" was a "blatant abuse of the legacy of one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time," insisting the estate "would have never given its approval" regarding the use of Tupac's vocals. "You personally are well acquainted both with publicity rights and the laws that protect them, and with the harm that unauthorized AI impersonations can cause to artists, including yourself," wrote King to Drake. Close