According to Joe Coscarelli of the New York Times, Capitol Records has ended its relationship with the A.I. rapper project FN Meka.
After signing the artificial intelligence-powered virtual rapper, the record company faced severe criticism.
“CMG has severed ties with the FN Meka project, effective immediately,” Capitol Music Group relayed in a 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.
“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.”
Just hours before Capitol Records announced it was abandoning its involvement with the project, the activist organization Industry Blackout demanded a public apology from the label.
“This digital effigy is a careless abomination and disrespectful to real people who face real consequences in real life,” the group wrote.
Meka was the first A.I. rapper to surpass 10 million followers on TikTok, according to reports that circulated earlier this week, and he had signed with Capitol. Rappers expressed their displeasure at labels investing money in such a project rather than supporting live performers.
“Like it ain’t a million real human artists out here who giving a deal to would change their families’ lives FOH,” The Game wrote in an Instagram comment.
Although Krayzie Bone wishes he had come up with the idea first, he cautioned rappers that A.I. would eventually take their position.
“First thing I said was damn, I wish I would’ve thought of this first,” he said. “I think it could be genius. I think they got something. I think they might be going somewhere with this. I will tell rappers one thing – you better watch out,” he said. “They’re trying to take your jobs.”
