This AI Rapper Was Just Signed to A Major Label. WHAT?

Capitol Records has just signed a deal with AI Virtual Rapper FN Meka. The "robot rapper" dropped his first single "Florida Water" featuring Gunna and gaming streamer Clix.

So is FN Meka human or robot? Human, mostly. Creators Anthony Martini and Brandon Le are cofounders of virtual record label Factory New, the first label to "sign" the robot rapper. According to Martini, "Technically speaking, FN Meka is voiced by a human, but everything else about him - from his lyrics to the chords and tempo underpinning his music - is based on AI."

FN Meka has 10 million followers on TikTok and over a billion views on the platform. Check out a clip of his song and take a peak into his virtual world below.

Personally, I have to wonder if this is a way for Record Labels to make more money. Any human artist signed is going to get their piece of the financial pie, but what exactly is owed to an AI rapper? With many artists either going independent or opting instead for independent artist owned labels, perhaps this is major labels attempt to regain power in the music industry space. So is this clever marketing or just a Monet grab?