--- title: "AI-Generated Drake Song Submitted for Grammys" description: "An AI-generated song featuring the cloned vocals of Drake and the Weeknd has officially been submitted for two Grammys." date: "2023-09-06" modified: "2023-09-06" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/ai-generated-drake-song-submitted-grammys" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "ai music" - "ai-generated art" - "the digest" --- # AI-Generated Drake Song Submitted for Grammys ![An AI-generated song featuring the cloned vocals of Drake and the Weeknd has officially been submitted for two Grammys.]() *SANTIAGO, CHILE - MARCH 18: Drake performs during day two of Lollapalooza Chile 2023 on March 18, 2023 in Santiago, Chile. (Photo by Marcelo Hernandez/Getty Images) \Image: Marcelo Hernandez via Getty Images\* ## AI Accolades A highly contentious AI-generated song featuring the cloned vocals of Aubrey "Drake" Graham and Abel Makkonen "the Weeknd" Tesfaye has officially been submitted to the Grammy Awards for consideration, the [*New York Times* reports](). The song, called "Heart on my Sleeve," was produced by an anonymous artist called Ghostwriter. It [made major headlines]() earlier this year, when it went viral on TikTok — and then immediately [drew the ire]() of Graham and Tesfaye's label, Universal Music Group. The label forced the song [to be taken offline]() across a number of streaming platforms, but not before it racked up 600,000 streams on Spotify and 15 million views on TikTok, as [*Billboard* reported]() at the time. Now, the *NYT* confirmed with a representative for Ghostwriter that the song was submitted to the Grammys for both "best rap song" and "song of the year," both of which technically are awarded to the writers, not performers. It's a fascinating new wrinkle in the [debate]() surrounding the use of AI in music. Can artists really receive accolades for their use of someone else's vocal style, or are they actively undermining the success of the artists they are impersonating? Do Graham and Tesfaye have exclusive rights to their respective voices — or is it all fair game in the era of AI? ## Fire Bars While Harvey Mason, the official in charge of the Recording Academy's Grammy Awards, [implied in an extremely muddled statement]() back in June that "Grammys will only be allowed to go to human creators who have contributed creatively in the appropriate categories," the song is still technically eligible, the *NYT* reports. "As far as the creative side, it’s absolutely eligible because it was written by a human," Mason told the newspaper this week. It's a thorny issue that's bound to remain highly controversial. "I knew right away as soon as I heard that record that it was going to be something that we had to grapple with from an Academy standpoint," Mason told the *NYT*, "but also from a music community and industry standpoint." "We know AI is going to play a role in our business," he added. "We can’t pretend to turn our back on it and try to ban it." Now, Ghostwriter has turned to two new artists for their next song, a track called "Whiplash" that features the cloned vocals of rappers Travis Scott and Shéyaa "21 Savage" Bin Abraham-Joseph. The artist is sending a clear message with the new song. "Me and Writer raise a toast," the AI-generated version of 21 Savage raps. "Trying to shadowban my boy, but you can’t kill a ghost." **More on AI music:** *[Nick Cave Unloads on Musicians Using ChatGPT to Write Songs]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()