{"id":54372,"date":"2022-08-23T23:57:59","date_gmt":"2022-08-23T23:57:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/capitol-records-drops-virtual-ai-rapper-fn-meka-after-backlash\/"},"modified":"2022-08-23T23:57:59","modified_gmt":"2022-08-23T23:57:59","slug":"capitol-records-drops-virtual-ai-rapper-fn-meka-after-backlash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/capitol-records-drops-virtual-ai-rapper-fn-meka-after-backlash\/","title":{"rendered":"Capitol Records Drops Virtual AI Rapper FN Meka After Backlash"},"content":{"rendered":"
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grand opening grand closing. Just days after news broke that AI-powered virtual rapper FN Meka had signed a deal with Capitol Records, the label has announced it has dropped the ‘bot following backlash.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday (Aug. 23), a rep for Capitol released a statement to XXL<\/em> confirming its decision to part ways with the “rapper.”<\/p>\n

“CMG has severed ties with the FN Meka project, effectively immediately,” the statement starts. “We offer our deepest apologies to the Black community for our insensitivity in signing this project without asking enough question about equity and the creative process behind it. We thank those who have reached out to us with constructive feedback in the past couple of days \u2014your input was invaluable as we came to the decision to end our associate with the project.”<\/p>\n

The opposition to FN Meka apparently received a strong push from @industryblkout<\/a>a “unified body of Black people in the industry committed to changing the community” on Twitter, who published a hard stance statement against Capitol Records and the Meka project on Tuesday calling it an “abomination and disrespectful to real people who face real consequences in real life.”<\/p>\n

XXL<\/em> has reached out to Industry Blackout for comment.<\/p>\n

The announcement comes following backlash the imprint received from recently signing the robot rapper to a recording contract. FN Meka is the creation of Anthony Martini and Brandon Le, cofounders of Factory New, a virtual record label who were the first to ink the virtual rhymer to a deal. FN Meka’s voice is based off a real human, but everything else about the rapper including his rhymes are based off artificial intelligence technology, according to its creators. In appearance, Meka looks like to a caricature of a racially ambiguous Soundcloud rapper, complete with colored dreads and face tats. Meka even has a new single with Gunna titled “Florida Water.”<\/p>\n

However, the Meka “project” has received backlash. For one, Meka uses the N-word in lyrics. On the 2019 track “Moonwalkin’,” he spits the lines, “Moonwalkin’ with a shawty in the lobby\/Feel like Hank Hill when I raise the Bobby (Bobby)\/I don’t see no niggas like we playin’ hockey ( hockey).”<\/p>\n

“FN Meka is an AI generated rapper, it already has a record deal with a major label and 500k monthly Spotify listeners, also uses the n word in its song,” a Twitter user posted Monday (Aug. 22). “Shut that thing down.”<\/p>\n

Another issue came after the ‘bot’s creators were called out for perpetuating stereotypes on social media. One Instagram post on Meka’s official Instagram account shows the rapper being beaten up by a cop in a jail cell because he “won’t snitch.” This didn’t sit well with people either.<\/p>\n

“An AI rapper that says the n-word fabricating police brutality\u2026 literally every single thing about this is so off-key,” a Twitter user recently opined.<\/p>\n

FM Meka has over 10 million followers on TikTok and over 135 million likes.<\/p>\n

See a History of Banned Hip-Hop Songs From Your Favorite Rappers<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n