Drake floored the masses when he brought Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg into his beef against Kendrick Lamar via AI … and Pac’s brother thinks it was a step too far in the ongoing beef.
Mopreme Shakur, Tupac’s brother tells TMZ Hip Hop that his issue with Drake using an AI Tupac voice is that he weaponized it … all for a rap battle.
Mopreme tells us Drake using Pac’s voice is like bringing out a tank, or even going with a nuclear option — and he thinks the battle should be 1-on-1 … with no outside help.
Of course, Mopreme isn’t naive to the fact Kendrick is a West Coast legend himself inspired by Pac … and Drake is trying to push some buttons.
Jay-Z famously said he’d kill “ants with a sledgehammer” in his “Takeover” diss against Nas, and Tupac himself outlined the “Secretz of War” with a totalitarian attitude — so, Drake might be following their lead by using Pac’s voice.
Fans defending Drake pointed out Kendrick famously used a Tupac interview to close out “To Pimp a Butterfly” — the album J. Cole failed to slam — but Mopreme agrees with that move because it was an homage.
He has nothing but love for Kendrick, Drake and Cole … and says they all need to make sure the rap battle remains sport, and doesn’t escalate into physical violence.
Mopreme says of course he loves hearing his brother’s voice … just not in a battle.
For his part, Snoop was left speechless when fans cornered him for a reaction.
Mopreme admits Drake’s song made him realize AI “is a hell of a tool” … and in Pac’s case, he’s worried younger generations might confuse the artificial Pac with the real deal.
Suge Knight‘s reaction was similar to Mopreme’s … he says Pac was king and should never be stooped down to do a pawn’s bidding.
TMZ Studios
As far as who’s winning the battle … Mopreme says it’s not over yet, so he can’t call it.