Capitol Records “severs ties” with virtual rapper FN Meka, offers “deepest apologies to the Black community”

nme.com:

announced the “signing” of FN Meka – a virtual “robot rapper” launched by creative start-up Factory New – the Universal-owned label has shared a statement confirming it has “severed ties” with the project.Capitol Music Group announced their partnership with Factory New on August 12, with Ryan Ruden – the company’s executive vice president of experiential marketing and business development – saying the FN Meka project “meets at the intersection of music, technology and gaming culture” and “is just a preview of what’s to come”.The same day, Capitol released its first FN Meka single, ‘Florida Water’, which featured guest vocals from (real life) rapper Gunna and ancillary involvement from gaming streamer Clix.

Though vocals credited to FN Meka were performed by a real human being (the identity of whom is currently unknown), the lyrics were reportedly generated by an AI-powered algorithm.Shortly after the song was released and the “signing” made public, Capitol faced backlash over its involvement with the project.

Critics pointed to the way the project trivialised elements of Black culture and used them for shock value – something the label alluded to in a formal apology shared online by The New York Times’ Joe Coscarelli.The statement reads: “CMG has severed ties with the FN Meka project, effective immediately.

We offer our deepest apologies to the Black community for our insensitivity in signing this project without asking enough questions about equity and the creative process behind it.“We thank those who have reached out to us with constructive feedback in the past couple of days – your input was invaluable as we came to the decision to end our association with the project.”breaking: Capitol Records “has severed ties”.