Drake’s “Push Ups” Wasn’t an AI Song—But His Deepfake Meme Fueled the Confusion

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Drake’s “Push Ups” first circulated as an unverified leak, prompting speculation that the voice might be AI-generated. On April 15, 2024, Drake posted a digitally altered Drumline clip that put Metro Boomin’s face over Nick Cannon’s character. The meme appeared to acknowledge the uproar, but it did not prove who recorded the leaked audio. Drake officially released “Push Ups” on April 19, establishing it as an authorized Drake track—not merely an AI imitation.

Why “Push Ups” was questioned

“Push Ups,” also known as “Push Ups (Drop and Give Me 50),” emerged online around April 13, 2024, during the fallout from Kendrick Lamar’s verse on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That.” The diss track takes aim primarily at Lamar, with additional shots at Metro Boomin, Future, Rick Ross, The Weeknd and others connected to the feud.

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The recording sounded like Drake, and its targets made it plausible as a response. But it was spreading through leaks, reposts and unofficial uploads rather than Drake’s verified channels. When the Los Angeles Times reported on the controversy on April 16, Drake’s representative had not immediately confirmed the track’s authenticity.

That uncertainty mattered in a climate where convincing voice clones were already part of music discourse. Listeners debated the vocal texture, cadence, mix and lyrics, but those reactions were not forensic proof of AI use. A missing official upload established uncertain provenance—not synthetic vocals.

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What Drake’s deepfake-style post showed

On April 15, Drake shared a clip from the 2002 film Drumline with Metro Boomin’s face digitally placed over Nick Cannon’s character during a drumming audition. The joke referenced the “Push Ups” line aimed at Metro telling him to make drums. Billboard Canada reported on the post as a troll directed at the producer.

It was a deepfake-style visual taunt, not a deepfake of Drake singing and not a direct statement that the song was real. The post showed Drake engaging with the controversy and was widely read as an acknowledgment of the leak. It could not, by itself, establish who made or uploaded the audio, or whether the circulating file was an official recording.

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What the April 19 release settled—and what it did not

Drake officially released “Push Ups” on April 19. That made the released track an authorized Drake recording, rather than simply an unauthorized voice-clone song pretending to be him. Pitchfork’s report on the release noted differences in the beat or production credits between the leaked audio and the official version.

The release settled the central question about whether Drake had a real “Push Ups” track. It did not establish who put the first file online, whether the leak was intentional, whether any early copy had been altered, or whether every detail of its production history matched the final version. The available reporting does not establish that AI generated the vocals in the official release.

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Why Drake’s earlier AI episodes shaped the reaction

In 2023, “Heart on My Sleeve,” a viral track using AI-generated vocals resembling Drake and The Weeknd, circulated online and was removed from streaming services after rights concerns. Drake also shared an AI imitation of himself performing Ice Spice’s “Munch,” captioning it, “This is the final straw AI.” The Los Angeles Times covered the “Heart on My Sleeve” episode.

Those incidents help explain why an unverified recording that sounded like Drake could prompt immediate suspicion. But they are context, not evidence that “Push Ups” was AI-generated. By April 2024, a familiar voice alone was no longer enough for many listeners to feel certain about a track’s origin.

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“Push Ups” and “Taylor Made Freestyle” were different AI stories

Drake released “Taylor Made Freestyle” on April 19, the same day as “Push Ups.” The later track used AI-style vocal likenesses associated with Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg, prompting a separate controversy. Billboard Canada reported on those vocals.

The distinction is important: “Push Ups” drew AI speculation because listeners did not initially know whether Drake was behind the leak. “Taylor Made Freestyle” made AI-style impersonation part of the track itself. One story was about uncertainty over a recording’s provenance; the other involved a deliberate use of recognizable vocal likenesses.

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