Capitol Records announced that the label dropped AI rapper FN Meka after fans and rappers like The Game spoke out.
The news shocked the hip-hop world this week when we learned that Capital Record put money behind an Artificial Intelligence controlled rapper name FN Meka. The virtual rapper sounded a lot like 6ix9ine and also used the N-word despite being created by a white programmer. The reactions were not favorable, and it appears that the higher-ups at Capital Records saw the blowback and decided to cut ties.
In a statement released to the media on Tuesday, Capital Music Group apologized to the black community and announced FN Meka’s departure from the label, accordig to NY Times’ Joe Coscarelli.
“CMG has severed ties with the FN Meka project, effective immediately,” CMG said in its statement. “We offer our deepest condolences to the Black community for our insensitivity in signing this project without asking enough questions about the equity and the creative process behind it.”
“This digital effigy is a careless abomination and disrespectful to real people who face real consequences in real life,” CMG continues.
The activist group, Industry Blackout, was among the many groups that called for an apology from the record label. West Coast rapper The Game also spoke out against the computer programmed rapper.
“Like it ain’t a million real human artists out here who giving a deal to would change their families’ lives FOH,” The Game said in a comment on Instagram while sharing his reaction to the AI rapper.
It’s unclear what will happen to FN Meka now that he is out of a record deal. His social media accounts are currently inactive, especially on Tik Tok, where numerous AI generated videos are posted. There is also the issue of a song “Florida Water” featuring Gunna and Clix.
For now, FN Meka’s career seems short-lived, but some folks in the industry, particularly Krayzie Bone, thought the idea was good and wished he was the one who created the AI rapper. He made a point to put the rap industry on notice that virtual artists might take over in the future.
— No Jumper (@nojumper) August 23, 2022
breaking: Capitol Records “has severed ties” with the A.I. rapper FN Meka, “effective immediately,” following days of backlash over the caricature
the activist group @industryblkout called for a formal public apology about two hours ago pic.twitter.com/arkL2OkTjv pic.twitter.com/BjfjLDfpMO
— Joe Coscarelli (@joecoscarelli) August 23, 2022
