AI robot rapper FN Meka recently was “signed” to Capitol Records as the first of his kind, but the label forgot to do one key thing before launching his career: comb through social media. Now in the spotlight with the Gunna-assisted single “Florida Water,” a pair of songs in which he drops the N-word have resurfaced. In another new revelation to many people, it turns out no one in the team behind FN Meka is Black.
Based on previous deep-dive reporting by Genius in 2021, the creators of FN Meka are brothers Chris and Brandon Le, who teamed with music industry veteran Anthony Martini to launch the Tekashi 6ix9ine-mimicking “character” under their record label Factory New. With Martini’s guidance, FN Meka released the 2019 singles “Moonwalkin” and “Internet,” both of which feature the repeated use of the N-word.
According to Genius News’ Jacques Morel, those tracks were reportedly voiced by real-life rapper Kyle the Hooligan, but the artist did not go on record to confirm his contribution to the songs — both of which have been scrubbed from SoundCloud and YouTube. But clips remain on TikTok, as you can see below.
In a 2021 interview with Music Business Worldwide, Martini spoke about launching Factory New as a label consisting exclusively of virtual artists, saying, “The 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.”
By using AI technology to analyze popular music and generate song elements like lyrics, chords, and melody, however, Factory New aimed to cut out those “inefficiencies.” The signing of FN Meka to a major label proves there is potential for the strategy based on a purely business standpoint, but the lack of understanding of hip-hop culture is where a big part of the backlash lies.
Apparently, there was no thought about the optics of a virtual rapper who uses lyrics generated by AI releasing a song with Gunna, who currently sits in jail for a RICO case in which prosecutors are using his lyrics against him. Update: The video for “Florida Water” has been taken down and FN Meka’s Instagram has gone private.
Though AI software has been increasingly used to create songs of late, it has mostly been for concept projects. In 2020, the digital agency space150 created a deepfake version of Travis Scott named Travis Bott who released the food-obsessed track “Jack Park Canny Dope Man.” Meanwhile, the Lost Tapes of the 27 Club project used AI to create songs in the style of musicians like Nirvana, Amy Winehouse, and Jimi Hendrix last year.
@fnmeka Just copped an all Gucci Tesla Cybertruck. 🚘 Like it? #cybertruck #teslacar #futuristic #truckhorn
@fnmeka Do you believe in me? 🤖. I want to rule the 🌎 one day. #virtualinfluencer #tobilou #robot2