Al rapper FN Meka dropped by Capitol over racial stereotyping

After receiving criticism for its usage of racist slurs, including the N-word being used frequently, a record label severed ties with an AI rapper.

A black male cyborg appearance has been given to artificial intelligence musician FN Meka. However, the rapper’s signing with Capitol Music Group (CMG) drew criticism.

In a statement that announced the breakup of their collaboration, CMG expressed its “sincere apologies to the black community for our insensitivity.”

Each month, more than 500,000 individuals use FN Meka’s Spotify service, and as of right now, its TikTok account has had over one billion views. It has more than 220,000 followers on Instagram, which was later made private.

Anthony Martini, a cofounder of Factory New, the organisation in charge of the AI, asserts that an anonymous black man is singing the songs of FN Meka.

The vocals are currently performed by a human voice, although he claimed in an interview from 2021 that “we are working towards the ability to have a computer come up with and sing its own words—and even interact with other computers as co-writers.”

The Black activist group Industry Blackout issued CMG an open letter before the record label terminated the rapper, calling FN Meka “offensive” and “a direct affront to the Black community and our culture.”

They referred to it as an amalgam of vile stereotypes and appropriative behaviours that originate from black musicians, complete with slurs interwoven in the lyrics.

Industry Blackout urged that the AI rapper provide a public apology and be taken off of all platforms.

Additionally, they desire that any revenues go to CMG-accredited black musicians and organisations that encourage black youth in the arts.

Before FN Meka was dropped, Mr. Martini told the New York Times that he had predicted it would happen because of “clickbait headlines.”

When questioned about a picture showing FN Meka being assaulted by a policeman, he responded, “Some of the early content, now if you take it out of context, it certainly appears worse or different than it was intended.”

CMG acknowledged in their statement that they signed this project without asking adequate questions.