Timbaland is facing backlash after being accused of using a fellow artist’s beat without permission in an AI project powered by Suno.

A video recently surfaced showing the well-known producer uploading a beat from TikTok – originally created by producer KFresh – into the AI music platform Suno (of which he is a creative director). The track was then created using Timbaland’s own AI model, “Baby Timbo”, with vocals from rapper C-Red laid over the beat.

While some defended the move as part of hip-hop’s long history of sampling and remixing, as Digital Music News reports, others saw it as crossing the line – especially given the involvement of artificial intelligence.

The situation was brought to wider attention by rapper and YouTuber Curtiss King, who posted on X: “Timbaland and Suno have some explaining to do. Suno was allegedly caught stealing [KFresh’s] beat and producer tag in [an] AI generated beat prompted by Timbaland.”

Timbaland defended himself, saying he saw the work as a remix and claimed it helped KFresh connect with legendary rapper Ghostface Killah. But KFresh says he was never contacted before the track was made. In a video with Curtiss King, he shared his thoughts on the whole situation: “Come talk to me, let’s have a conversation. […] More importantly, you guys got a responsibility to look out for the young guys who look up to you. […] There’s so much more you could be doing in terms of giving back.”

AI music tools like Suno and Udio are already the subject of several legal battles. In June 2024, major labels filed lawsuits against both companies for allegedly training AI models on copyrighted tracks without licensing them. German collection society GEMA also launched legal action against Suno in early 2025.

Despite this, Suno has continued to expand, including updating its AI song editor features and improving the realism of its vocals. Timbaland is also collaborating with Suno through an AI company he co-founded, helping to power a virtual artist known as TaTa.

This incident isn’t isolated – it’s a symptom of a much wider debate. As AI tools get more powerful, they open up new creative possibilities, but also raise tough questions around permission, attribution, and fair use. Is feeding a beat into an AI tool the same as sampling? Does using someone’s “producer tag” without permission cross a line, even if the outcome is technically “new”?

The lawsuits against Suno and Udio highlight a growing tension between innovation and copyright, one that’s changing the shape of the industry.

The story might disappear from the spotlight, but the real issue remains – how do we move forward with music tech without stepping on the rights of others?

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