Talk about being extra! Have you ever heard of a “virtual celebrity”? Probably not. Brace yourselves, as virtual celebrities are in town! Yes, you heard it right. It has been reported that an AI-powered rapper has been taken on board by the major record label Capitol Records. Since then, the rapper has been in talks and is gathering a huge crowd. You can analyze the intensity of its popularity from the fact that it has already accumulated around ten million followers on Tiktok. Christened FN Meka, this AI-powered virtual celebrity is gaining ground in the world of the music industry.
You would be amazed to know that this virtual rapper is doing fascinating things on TikTok, from presenting itself in a 3D avatar and catering to every whim, to taking exotic rides in Rolls-Royce and showing off its Bugatti Chiron Spaced jet. Not only this, but this virtual celebrity would be the first AI bot to sign a contract with a major label. It has also collaborated with certified platinum rapper “Gunna” for the formation of a new album named “Florida Water”.
Anthony Martini, who is also the co-founder of the label Factory New, which invented this virtual rapper, said in an interview, “The old model of finding talent is inefficient and unreliable.” He further stated, “Now we can literally custom-create artists using elements proven to work by greatly increasing the odds of success. Even if we can get to a 2% success rate, then we’ve doubled the industry standard. “
On the other hand, where a lot of people find it thrilling and exciting, a few of them are criticizing this new invention and calling it “an attack on artists.” One of the Twitter users expressed his disapproval with FN Meka by criticizing one of its Instagram posts and saying, “An AI rapper that says the n-word fabricating police brutality,” they wrote. “Literally every single thing about this is so off-key.” Another user tweeted, “A white dude really made an AI that can rap, then made a brown skin sprite for it, called it FN Meka, and it got signed to [Capitol Records].”