Drake muddies the “Push Ups” AI debate with a deepfake

Over the weekend, a new track “leaked,” and fans have been debating whether it’s really from Drake or if it’s the return of AI Drake. The song is a diss track called “Push Ups” that targets Kendrick Lamar and Metro Boomin, among others. At one point, it tells Metro Boomin to “shut your ho ass up and make some drums.” It sounds like Drake, but on a close listen, there are small apparent glitches in his voice.

After “Push Ups” went viral, Drake didn’t officially take credit for the track but made several references to it in his Instagram stories, including posting an AI deepfake of rap producer Metro Boomin standing in for Nick Cannon in a clip from the 2002 film Drumline.

That’s not really a confirmation that he made the song. If anything, his use of a deepfake video almost feels like a troll. Maybe he made the song, and maybe he even used his own AI voice clone to do it. Or maybe he had nothing to do with it and he’s just engaging with the hype for fun. One thing that does seem clear is that even if the voice clones bothered him last year, he’s fine with using AI to meme.