Global InformationFN Meka information
| FN Meka | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | Brandon Le Factory New |
| Voiced by | Kyle the Hooligan (2019– c. 2021) Anonymous (2021–2022) |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation |
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| Nationality | American |
| Genre |
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| Years active | 2019–2022 |
| Record label |
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FN Meka is a fictional rapper/avatar originally developed by Brandon Le in 2019 as part of the company Factory New, with Anthony Martini joining the project in early 2020 as co-founder. Self-described as a "virtual rapper", the project had claimed that the music and lyrics were generated by an AI using thousands of data points compiled from video games and social media. Later, this was called into question when Houston, Texas-based rapper Kyle the Hooligan claimed to be the anonymous human voice behind FN Meka.[1][2][3] It is currently the most prominent virtual rapper, with over 10 million followers and over a billion views on TikTok.[4]
FN Meka garnered media coverage when it was signed to Capitol Records on August 14, 2022, becoming the first "AI-generated rapper" to be signed to a major label. However, due to controversy over its stereotyping of black people, Capitol dropped FN Meka from its label ten days later on August 23, 2022.[5]
- ^ Stassen, Murray (April 1, 2021). "THIS ROBOT RAPPER HAS 9M FOLLOWERS ON TIKTOK. THE COMPANY THAT CREATED HIM THINKS TRADITIONAL A&R IS 'INEFFICIENT AND UNRELIABLE'". Music Business Worldwide. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
- ^ "FN Meka spokesperson Anthony Martini quits project, admits there was less AI involved than claimed | Complete Music Update". Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:6was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Roundtree, Cheyenne (April 3, 2021). "Meet FN Meka, the World's First AI Robot Rapper Who Sells NFTs". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on August 24, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- ^ Coscarelli, Joe (August 23, 2022). "Capitol Drops AI Rapper FN Meka Following Backlash". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 25, 2022.