The producer says he “should have done [his] due diligence” after remixing a beat made by K Fresh using AI platform Suno
Timbaland has issued a public apology after uploading another producer’s work into Suno, an AI music-making tool he’s also affiliated with.
The controversy kicked off when LA-based artist K Fresh shared an open letter on Instagram, calling out Timbaland and Suno for using his original track without permission.
In the video posted by Timbaland, he fed the beat into Suno and shared an AI remix of the song—no credit, no consent, no heads-up.
K Fresh, with his lawyer co-signing the statement, asked for a formal apology, confirmation that his music was removed from the Suno system, and a clear way for artists to opt out of having their work used in AI training.
Timbaland responded on the same day. “I now understand that the song’s beat was produced by a producer named KFresh, who didn’t give consent, and that’s on me,” he wrote on Instagram. “I’d like to formally apologise to KFresh. I should have done my due diligence before using it.”
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A statement from Timbaland’s attorney followed, clarifying that while the move broke Suno’s terms of service, it didn’t break any laws.
The track has since been taken off the platform—but the lawyer also pointed out that under current legislation, AI companies aren’t required to remove the data their systems learned from, even if they delete the original file.
The whole thing has brought up ongoing concerns about how easily artists’ work can be scraped into AI systems, often without them knowing, and without clear ways to opt out.
It’s a reminder that even big-name producers need to be more careful in the way they interact with this tech—especially when it’s not their beat to begin with.
