FN Meka

Capitol Records is pulling the plug on its AI rapper FN Meka, and calling the unconventional and controversial signing an insensitive move on their part ...

[Krayzie Bone](https://www.tmz.com/people/krayzie-bone/) of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony about the situation ... some angry staffers blame Capitol’s lack of diversity for the deal getting a greenlight, in the first place. Sources close to the situation tell TMZ Hip Hop ... We’re also told by label sources ... [Gunna](https://www.tmz.com/people/gunna/), who is [currently incarcerated](https://www.tmz.com/2022/05/11/gunna-arrested-booked-jail-rico-charges/). The label went public with Meka's contract on August 12, but Tuesday it did a complete 180° …

We offer our deepest apologies to the Black community for our insensitivity in signing this project without asking enough questions about equity and the ...

“CMG has severed ties with the FN Meka project, effective immediately,” the label noted in a statement. As of today, FN Meka is no longer on a major label; Capitol has announced that it has “severed ties” with the rapper, artist to sign with a major label.” A press release from FN Meka’s 2021 publicist described Meka as an “A.I.

As you may have heard, one of this week's biggest and weirdest stories in the music world is that Capitol Records has signed an AI rapper, and it turns out ...

It is a direct insult to the Black community and our culture. This digital effigy is a careless abomination and disrespectful to real people who face real consequences in real life. He could be a digital being too and it wouldn’t make a difference to the fans of the music. We’re trying to blur those lines even more and trying to bring everyone to the future." [The Daily Beast](https://www.thedailybeast.com/meet-fn-meka-the-worlds-first-ai-robot-rapper-who-sells-nfts), Martini compared FN Meka to artists like Marshmello and Gorillaz, saying, "You look at any great human artist, the more fantastic you are, the more of a character that you are. 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 offer our deepest apologies to the Black community for our insensitivity in signing the project without asking enough questions about equity and the ...

With Martini’s guidance, FN Meka released the 2019 singles “Moonwalkin” and “Internet,” both of which feature the repeated use of the N-word. 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.” In 2020, the digital agency space150 created a deepfake version of Travis Scott In a statement, the record company issued an apology to the Black community for not “asking enough questions about equity and the creative process behind it.” “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. But clips remain on TikTok, as you can see below.

In a statement to Rolling Stone, a representative of Capitol Music Group wrote: “CMG has severed ties with the FN Meka project, effective immediately. We offer ...

[posted](https://www.instagram.com/p/ChnJGi2potN/) a condemnation of Capitol Records on Instagram, calling on the label to terminate its partnership with Meka, formally apologize, remove his content from all platforms, and allocate funds spent on FN Meka to charities supporting Black youth in the arts and marketing budgets for Capitol’s black artists. Martini claimed FN Meka was the first signee to Factory New, which described itself as a music company specializing in propelling virtual characters. The virtual rapper — who describes himself as a robot in a the afromentioned “interview” and across his TikTok and Instagram pages — is pretty human-looking, save for a golden left hand and chin plate below his glowing green pupils. That over-two-year-old video embodies much of the controversy surrounding FN Meka – it’s soundtracked by his song “Moonwalkin,” in which he clearly uses the N-word, once in the clip and four times on the full track. 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.” emcee after major online backlash against him, who many felt was an insulting caricature of Black and [hip-hop](https://www.rollingstone.com/t/hip-hop/) culture.

Activist groups like Industry Blackout had described the project as a "direct insult to the Black community" in an open letter earlier on Tuesday.

A CMG spokesperson also confirmed to THR that the “Florida Water” single, which was released on the Capitol Records label, has been removed from all streaming platforms. The signing marked Capitol Records’ first major deal with a virtual artist, which was Kelly](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/t/r-kelly/) [R. Kelly’s Alleged Sexual Abuse Victim Says She Participated in Investigation Because She Didn’t Want to “Carry His Lies”](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/r-kelly-alleged-sexual-abuse-victim-didnt-want-to-carry-his-lies-1235202660/) rapper FN Meka after facing pushback from activist groups and observers that the virtual rapper was a stereotypical caricature of Black artists. “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. The group called on Capitol Records to cut ties with the FN Meka project, issue a public apology and redirect all money spent by Capitol Records and Factory New on FN Meka toward organizations supporting Black youth in the arts and toward marketing Black artists signed with Capitol Records. But in an open letter shared earlier on Tuesday, the activist group Industry Blackout — which represents a group of Black industry professionals — described the FN Meka project as being a “direct insult to the Black community and our culture” by being an “amalgamation of gross stereotypes [and] appropriative mannerisms that derive from Black artists, complete with slurs infused in lyrics.” Earlier this month, Capitol Records announced it had signed FN Meka and was releasing a single, “Florida Water,” with the artist Gunna and the gaming streamer Cody “Clix” Conrad. 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.” “CMG has severed ties with the FN Meka project, effective immediately,” a Capitol Music Group spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter. 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An artificial-intelligence-generated rapper has been dropped from Capitol after objections to Black tropes, language and stereotypes and the lack of Black ...

This digital effigy is a careless abomination and disrespectful to real people who face real consequences in real life.” [Gunna](https://variety.com/t/gunna/), who previously participated in an independently released FN Meka track, “is currently incarcerated for rapping the same type of lyrics this robot mimics. It is a direct insult to the Black community and our culture — an amalgation of gross stereotypes, appropriative mannerisms that derive from Black artists, complete with slurs infused in lyrics. Martini — who’s also chief music officer and partner at Slip.stream — said in an interview with Music Business Worldwide that “technically speaking, FN Meka is voiced by a human. “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. But everything else about him — from his lyrics to the chords and tempo underpinning his music — is based on AI.”

Capitol Music Group has “severed ties” with A.I. rapper FN Meka after facing backlash from critics that say the virtual rapper was a stereotypical ...

This digital effigy is a careless abomination and disrespectful to real people who face real consequences in real life.” It is a direct insult to the Black community and our culture — an amalgation of gross stereotypes, appropriative mannerisms that derive from Black artists, complete with slurs infused in lyrics. Not long after announcing that the Capitol label had signed a computer-generated rapper dubbed FN Meka, Capitol Music Group announced that it is severing ties with the project.

Virtual Rapper FN Meka has spoken out after being dropped by Capitol Records, and it's blamed its short-lived major label career on "racist reporters."

The voice is a black guy,” FN Meka’s message read. “Lady came up w/ idea, asian modeled it to give a rapper a voice,” FN Meka replied. “CMG has severed ties with the FN Meka project, effective immediately,” the label relayed in a statement. “haha like an asian dude that sounds black or a voice actor?” at some point in the future. FnMeka is made by a black lady and a asian guy w/ a black voice. FN Meka then sent a follow-up DM to Johnson to further clarify that its voice was “a black guy” and not an asian person putting on a Blaccent. I think they might be going somewhere with this. In a screenshot of an apparent reply from the rapper, Meka replied: “Ty Jarvis!!! “Its a simple business cooperation lmao. The digital rapper had garnered over a billion views and accrued 10 million followers on TikTok alone, making it the No. Rapper is black as you can tell by his voice.

Capitol Music Group faced a backlash for signing the artificial intelligence musician.

[an open letter saying](https://twitter.com/industryblkout/status/1562142057472225288/photo/1) FN Meka was "offensive" and "a direct insult to the Black community and our culture". "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," they added. In a statement announcing they had severed ties, CMG offered its "deepest apologies to the black community for our insensitivity".

AI rapper FN Meka has been removed from the Capitol Records lineup after the label faced criticism for posting an image that depicted him experiencing ...

After the announcement, [people online](https://twitter.com/VegaGenesisTM/status/1560328526582009856?s=20&t=p267OLwTa2EEdu_oIrvayw) began [criticizing](https://www.tiktok.com/@therealdoubledeemuva/video/7135060608268913963?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7106715388207547950) the label’s decision to [ invest money in virtual artists instead of Black musicians](https://twitter.com/dshimbeatz/status/1560378763023720455?s=20&t=p267OLwTa2EEdu_oIrvayw). [FN Meka](https://www.tiktok.com/@fnmeka?lang=en) is a self-described “Robot Rapper not accepted by this world.” His TikToks show off [Louis Vuitton](https://www.tiktok.com/@fnmeka/video/6977102702098664709?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7106715388207547950), [Rolls-Royce cars](https://www.tiktok.com/@fnmeka/video/7132972060870987054?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7106715388207547950), and [gold Pokemón cards on chains](https://www.tiktok.com/@fnmeka/video/6884232073238809862?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7106715388207547950) — all digital, of course. We offer our deepest apologies to the Black community for our insensitivity in this project without asking enough questions about equity and the creative process behind it. Two hours later, Joe Coscarelli of the New York Times shared on One Twitter user, Temisan Adoki, [tweeted](https://twitter.com/iamtemisanadoki/status/1562168799737962499?s=20&t=p267OLwTa2EEdu_oIrvayw) that Meka “represents the complete bastardization, colonization, and whitewashing of hip-hop and total control of Black Music altogether.” Soon after, people began unearthing old posts from the account, including one that depicted [Meka](https://twitter.com/limitedmitch/status/1561999771090489344?s=20&t=oInVBDZJyO9fmCeRedjRSA) being hit by a police officer while wearing an orange jumpsuit. Below is a look at FN Meka’s career and who is behind the controversial account. [Capitol Records](https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/capitol-records-just-signed-a-virtual-artist-fn-meka-he-has-over-10-million-followers-on-tiktok/) announced it had signed its first virtual artist, citing him as the No. He debuted his first single with the company, “ [Florida Water](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebbXkPvFRNk),” featuring Gunna ( [who was incarcerated during the release](https://www.vulture.com/2022/08/ysl-young-thug-gunna-arrest-charges-explained.html)) and Fortnite player Clix, that same day. [FN Meka](https://www.instagram.com/fnmeka/) has been removed from its lineup “effective immediately” following backlash online after [an insensitive Instagram post from 2019 mocking police brutality](https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/creators-of-virtual-rapper-fn-meka-under-fire-for-mocking-police-brutality-news.156800.html) resurfaced online. According to Meka creators and [Factory New co-founders Anthony Martini and Brandon Le](https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/this-robot-rapper-has-9-million-followers-on-tiktok-his-creator-thinks-traditional-ar-is-inefficient-and-unreliable/), a human performs the vocals for Meka, the voice most often being [Kyle the Hooligan](https://www.instagram.com/kylethehooligan/?hl=en), as revealed by [Genius’s Jacques Morel](https://youtu.be/vYmfnfljvnM). The AI also collaborates with other AI as “co-writers.” His first TikTok was posted [three years ago](https://www.tiktok.com/@fnmeka/video/6727416655531592966?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7106715388207547950), and he have over 500,000 monthly listeners on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/artist/5GDR9VJoOMLzuBIarkzGd8?si=n5wrnf4JQkyPCbP-6OBmGw). But what led up to an AI robot getting a record deal?

Label has apologised to 'the Black community' after signing an AI-generated rapper that used the N-word and was shown being beaten by police.

When asked about the image of FN Meka being beaten by a police officer, Martini said: “Some of the early content, now if you take it out of context, it obviously looks worse or different than it was intended.” “For example, Gunna, a Black artist who is featured on a song with FN Meka, is currently incarcerated for rapping the same type of lyrics this robot mimics. “As of now, a human voice performs the vocals, but we are working towards the ability to have a computer come up with and perform its own words – and even collaborate with other computers as ‘co-writers’,” he said. “This digital effigy is a careless abomination and disrespectful to real people who face real consequences in real life,” Industry Blackout wrote in their statement to Capitol. “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,” the statement read. An amalgamation of gross stereotypes, appropriative mannerisms that derive from Black artists, complete with slurs infused in lyrics.”

The strange saga of FN Meka, who was signed to and dropped from Capitol Records in the span of a few days, and is also not real.

[released a statement to Rolling Stone](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/capitol-records-drops-fn-meka-first-virtual-rapper-1234580495/) in which they announced he was no longer signed, apologized, and acknowledged the widespread backlash against Meka for the character’s reliance on harmful racial stereotypes. [Per Music Business Worldwide](https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/capitol-records-just-signed-a-virtual-artist-fn-meka-he-has-over-10-million-followers-on-tiktok/), Meka’s signing was announced on August 12. [According to Music Business Worldwide](https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/this-robot-rapper-has-9-million-followers-on-tiktok-his-creator-thinks-traditional-ar-is-inefficient-and-unreliable/), the controversial FN Meka was the project of a company called Factory New, which creates virtual artists to turn into social-media personalities. (It’s worth noting that Factory New also has another subtext-shattering virtual artist simply named Lil Bitcoin, [per the Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/23/arts/music/fn-meka-dropped-capitol-records.html).) One of Meka’s [most egregious posts from 2019](https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/creators-of-virtual-rapper-fn-meka-under-fire-for-mocking-police-brutality-news.156800.html) depicted him being assaulted by a white cop in prison, an apparent attempt to capitalize on the pervasive issue of police brutality just for social-media clout. [“severed ties”](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/23/arts/music/fn-meka-dropped-capitol-records.html) with him after criticism spread across the internet like wildfire. The CG Meka looks like he was created for a PlayStation game about a 2017-era SoundCloud rapper, with dyed green hair, face tattoos, and tryhard streetwear outfits.

Capitol Music Group announced it would drop FN Meka from the label Tuesday, sending their "deepest apologies to the Black community."

[Industry Blackout,](https://www.instagram.com/p/ChnJGi2potN/?hl=en) an organization of entertainment industry professionals aimed at "changing the community," co-founded by [ rapper and producer D-Dot,](https://twitter.com/DDotOmen) issued an open letter to Capitol Records condemning the partnership with FN Meka. An amalgamation of gross stereotypes, and appropriative mannerisms that derive from Black artists." It’s literally no different from managing a human artist, except that it’s digital.” Martini and Le developed the concept as the founders of media company, Factory New. [ The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/23/arts/music/fn-meka-dropped-capitol-records.html) on Tuesday that the backlash was a result of "clickbait" that created a "narrative" around FN Meka. ](https://twitter.com/MajestyRia/status/1562211630208806912) [Another user tweeted](https://twitter.com/TiphSeven/status/1561776090271604744): "Y'all not calling out this digital minstrel show enough for me." They all thought it was a great idea. FN Meka was created in 2019 by Brandon Le and Anthony Martini, according to Rather, the cartoon rapper uses AI technology to create music. They all saw dollar signs & felt innovative without any regard to the culture they’re actively exploiting daily," [The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/23/arts/music/fn-meka-dropped-capitol-records.html) and [ The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/aug/24/major-record-label-drops-offensive-ai-rapper-after-outcry-over-racial-stereotyping). [Capitol Music Group](https://www.universalmusic.com/label/capitol-music-group/) nixed its "first AR artist" [FN Meka](https://www.tiktok.com/@fnmeka/video/7132972060870987054?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en) from its label after the partnership spurred backlash.

When Capitol Records signed so-called robot rapper FN Meka earlier this month, it billed the move as a new frontier in the music industry.

"It is a direct insult to the Black community and our culture. "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," Capitol Music Group said in a statement shared with CNN. How many of them are just vessels for commercial endeavors?" , a label founded by music industry veteran Anthony Martini and video game artist Brandon Le. The avatar amassed more than 10 million followers on TikTok, and But just weeks after the Black male cyborg debuted its first single under the major label, Capitol Records shelved the effort over criticism from Black music industry professionals who said the virtual character was fashioned out of reductive stereotypes.