FN Meka's name is still making rounds online a few weeks after he was dropped by his record label due to several issues. Today, rap icon Timbaland, whose specialty also includes producing Artificial Intelligence-powered music, speaks out and revealed what went wrong with the virtual rapper.
In an interview with Complex, the "If We Ever Meet Again" hitmaker believes that there is nothing wrong with technology being used in the music industry and FN Meka's execution was "correct."
However, things went south when another conversation came into the picture regarding "culture."
Although the rapper knows that there was nothing wrong with Capitol Records signing FN Meka as one of their artists despite being produced by AI, Timbaland believes that it all boiled down to the topic of "cultural appropriation."
"It is an example of what we talk about as culture vultures," he said. The hip-hop artist added that Kyle The Hooligan was supposed to be the voice behind the virtual artist and people would have looked at it differently.
However, when people front a virtually-produced artist or rapper, they also have to learn and invest "in the culture instead of trying to manipulate the culture."
Timbaland isn't new to the world of Artificial Intelligence as he dabbled into the world of NFT (Non-Fungible Token).
He previously launched his NFT rapping alter ego, an animated monkey named Congo.
READ ALSO: Saweetie New Album 2022 Pushed Back Again? Singer Says She's 'Taking Time' For This
The FN Meka Fiasco
Many hip-hop fans expressed their concern when FN Meka signed with Capitol Records more than a month ago, with some of them claiming that the virtual rapper is taking away opportunities from "real artists."
Weeks after striking a deal with the record company, the AI-produced artist was dropped after an online uproar. Joe Coscarelli of the New York Times confirmed on Twitter that Capitol Music Group severed ties with the rapper.
The reason why he got dropped by the media giant was because of the racist overtones of his music as well as sharing scenes of police brutality in his content.
CMG issued a public apology to the Black community for their "insensitivity" in giving FN Meka a record deal despite not researching and asking questions about "equity and the creative process behind it."
Kyle Hooligan, the voice behind FN Meka, later spoke out about the issue, saying the record company stole his intellectual property as they initially reached out to him to discuss things about AI until they "ghosted" him.
READ MORE: Nicki Minaj Launches Defamation Lawsuit Against 'Nosey Heaux' Who Called Papa Bear a 'Rapist'
