{"id":56860,"date":"2022-08-26T08:02:27","date_gmt":"2022-08-26T08:02:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/black-artists-sound-off-on-why-ai-rapper-fn-meka-was-so-horribly-offensive\/"},"modified":"2022-08-26T08:02:27","modified_gmt":"2022-08-26T08:02:27","slug":"black-artists-sound-off-on-why-ai-rapper-fn-meka-was-so-horribly-offensive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/black-artists-sound-off-on-why-ai-rapper-fn-meka-was-so-horribly-offensive\/","title":{"rendered":"Black Artists Sound Off on Why AI Rapper FN Meka Was So Horribly Offensive"},"content":{"rendered":"
Artificial intelligence disrupted the music industry this week when a major recording label signed\u2014and then quickly dropped\u2014a \u201crobot rapper\u201d who casually dropped the N-word in their lyrics.<\/p>\n
Many Black artists felt the decision to sign the AI \u200b\u200brapper in the first place was a racist slap in the face.<\/p>\n
\u201cReal talk, anybody who was involved with research, development, and signing this artist at Capitol music should have their resignation submitted or their jobs terminated,\u201d rock <\/strong>singer Ali Adkins of Ali A and the Agency in Phoenix told The Daily Beast. \u201cBecause that just means you don’t get 50 fucks about the music. You just care about making a [dollar]\u201d<\/p>\n FN Meka, the rapping robot, was created in 2019 by Anthony Martini and Brandon Le, two non-Black men who are co-founders of the virtual reality record label Factory New, according to XXL Magazine<\/em>.<\/p>\n The digital rapper, who had tan skin, flaunted green braids in a faux hawk, and tattoos that were inked on his shaven head, in between his eyebrows, under an eye, and down the side of his face, suggesting gang designs. He wore a septum ring, a gold grill, and a black puffer jacket that has long been emblematic of hip-hop culture. His eyes shone a bright neon turquoise.<\/p>\n McQuay Morton, a 15-year-old pianist who has trained at the Washington Jazz Arts Institute and currently attends the Governor’s School for the Arts in Virginia, insisted FN Meka is an offensive representation of Black people that caters to stereotypes while disregarding the diversity and versatility of Black musicians.<\/p>\n \u201cRepresentation\u2026means accurately depicting all Black people from all backgrounds, places, and experiences,\u201d he told The Daily Beast. \u201cFN Meka represents all the general stereotypes of what a Black rapper is.\u201d<\/p>\n In an interview with Music Business Worldwide last year, Martini told the outlet that the digital rapper was created \u201cusing thousands of data points compiled from video games and social media.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe old model of finding talent is inefficient and unreliable. It requires spending time scouring the internet, traveling to shows, flying to meetings, expending resources all in search of the magic combination of qualities that just might translate into a superstar act,\u201d Martini said in the interview. \u201cNow we can literally custom-create artists using elements proven to work, greatly increasing the odds of success.\u201d<\/p>\n He explained that the robot has a human voice, but everything else is algorithm-driven, including the lyrics.<\/p>\n \u201cIf a song is good, people will listen to it,\u201d Martini continued. \u201cMost hits are written by teams of people who get paid to make music that will ‘sell.’ We think machines can eventually run this process more efficiently than humans.\u201d<\/p>\n By August 2022, FN Meka had amassed over 10 million followers on TikTok. The digital rapper’s social profile included a clip of his new song \u201cFlorida Water,\u201d videos of his extravagant digital lifestyle with Rolls Royces, outlandish accessories, and bling. FN Meka was an internet personality that seemingly thrived off of being over-the-top.<\/p>\n On Aug. 14, Capitol Music Group announced it was signing FN Meka\u2014the world’s first-ever music deal with augmented reality, according to Music Business Worldwide. The label’s executive vice president of experiential marketing and business development, Ryan Ruden, said FN Meka’s combination of music and technology \u201cis just a preview of what’s to come.\u201d<\/p>\n Social media users were quick to accuse the AI \u200b\u200brapper of embodying racist stereotypes and pointed to his casual use of the N-word in songs.<\/p>\n \u201cThe AI \u200b\u200brapper is the natural progression of the digital blackface I’ve been talking about for years\u2026\u201d @NotLaja<\/a> tweeted Tuesday.<\/p>\n