Capitol Records drops ‘offensive’ AI rapper FN Meka after outcry over racial stereotyping
A major record label has dropped an AI rapper and offered its “deepest apologies to the Black community”, after the virtual creation was criticised for perpetuating racist stereotypes by using the N-word in a song and being portrayed being beaten by a police officer.
FN Meka, an AI rapper given the appearance of a Black male cyborg, was created in 2019 by Anthony Martini and Brandon Le, the cofounders of Factory New, which billed itself as a “first of its kind, next-generation music company, specialising in virtual beings.”
FN Meka’s songs are performed by a human – an anonymous Black man, according to Martini – but the music and lyrics are generated by an AI that analyses popular music.
Capitol Records announced it had signed FN Meka just 10 days ago, billing the rapper as “the world’s first AR [augmented reality] artist to sign with a major label”. ...
FN Meka has more than 500,000 monthly Spotify subscribers and more than 1bn views on its TikTok account, where Factory New sells NFTs and posts computer-generated videos of FN Meka’s lifestyle, including Bugatti jets, helicopters and a Rolls Royce custom-fit with a Hibachi grill. Its Instagram account, which has more than 220,000 followers, has been made private.
Hours before Capitol’s statement, Industry Blackout, a Black activist group fighting for equity in the music business, released a statement addressed to Capitol calling FN Meka “offensive” and “a direct insult to the Black community and our culture. An amalgamation of gross stereotypes, appropriative mannerisms that derive from Black artists, complete with slurs infused in lyrics.” ...
See the full story here: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/aug/24/major-record-label-drops-offensive-ai-rapper-after-outcry-over-racial-stereotyping?fbclid=IwAR04jyEELv56oSRVREgY092OZ1sWbwFPjQHVoypKyjjV2QiGjQaMPn83B7U
