AI-Generated Drake and The Weeknd Song Blocked from Streaming Platforms

It seems like as each new week goes by, artificial intelligence continues to up the ante.

On Monday (April 17), digital streaming platforms began to either censor or remove a new AI-manufactured song that mimics the voices of Drake and The Weeknd. Dubbed “Heart on My Sleeve,” the song was first released on April 15 by a TikTok and YouTube account under the name ghostwriter, who subsequently added the track to Apple Music, Spotify, and Tidal.

With a hook repeated twice by Drake that contains a vintage flow switch from the Canadian emcee, the song sees the simulated Drake voice rap lyrics about The Weeknd’s ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez. Later on, in pretty poor taste, The Weeknd’s simulated voice adds another note about Selena, crooning Got these pearls on my neck, got these girls on my track like Selena baby / Imma cheat oh maybe.

I came in with my ex like Selena to flex, aye
Bumpin’ Justin Bieber the fever ain’t left, aye
She know what she need, Anita, she blessed, aye
“Givin u my best”, aye yuh

Although it was taken down from the aforementioned DSPs, “Heart on My Sleeve” remains up on YouTube and has garnered more than 370,000 views since it was uploaded. The track is the latest significant story that’s contributed to the recent AI debate, as the music community continues to ponder whether these technological advancements are beneficial or harmful.

In an ominous comment left under their own video, ghostwriter noted that “this is just the beginning.” However, Universal Music Group aims to do everything in its power to prove ghostwriter wrong.

With distribution deals for Drake, The Weeknd, and many more of the industry’s biggest names, UMG has put on a zero-tolerance front for AI gimmicks, citing artist rights. In a statement given to Variety on Monday, UMG asserted that AI is starting to draw a line in the sand, forcing everyone in the music industry to pick between artists or computers.

“The training of generative AI using our artists’ music (which represents both a breach of our agreements and a violation of copyright law) as well as the availability of infringing content created with generative AI on DSPs, begs the question as to which side of history all stakeholders in the music ecosystem want to be on: the side of artists, fans and human creative expression, or on the side of deep fakes, fraud and denying artists their due compensation,” the statement read. “These instances demonstrate why platforms have a fundamental legal and ethical responsibility to prevent the use of their services in ways that harm artists.”

The “Heart on My Sleeve” debacle comes just a few days after Drake addressed a different song that copied his vocals. Reposting a news clip about an AI Drake rapping Ice Spice’s latest hit song “Munch (2022), Drake jokingly—or maybe, not so much—added the caption, “This is the final straw A.I.”

Although the Drake-Weeknd song was only available on DSPs for a couple of days, Luminate Data suggests that it could be able to chart on Billboard. Luminate, who is responsible for tracking streaming and sales data in music, told this to Variety via a spokesperson.

Recently, rapper Lil Durk and singer Nick Cave both voiced their concerns about AI, with the former saying “nothin’ gonna replace the real deal” and the latter saying an AI copy of him “sucks.” Time will continue to tell how much resistance AI will be met with. But, it already seems like many in the music sphere are adamantly against its use.

(Photo: Chris McKay / Courtesy Republic Records)