Posted on

AI Eminem: The Mixtape We Can’t Ignore, But Must Defend Against

AI Eminem: The Mixtape We Can’t Ignore, But Must Defend Against

AI Eminem’s mixtape raises tough questions about authenticity, creativity, and whether Hip-Hop’s essence can survive in an artificially generated future.

Source: AllHipHop

Artificial intelligence is, in many ways, the great scoundrel of our age. The technology has barreled into creative spaces without checks, balances or any real regard for the fragile ecosystem of artistry. Right now, it feels less like innovation and more like the mass production of counterfeit creativity. And yet, every so often, an exception emerges that forces even the staunchest critic to pause.

Someone recently stitched together an entire mixtape of “AI Eminem” with the name Dope Sick. The creators didn’t just mimic Slim Shady. They did the unthinkable: they trained the machine to channel early-2000s Marshall Mathers with frightening precision. There are some glitches, but it truly sounds close to the raw, unfiltered Em that many fans still long for. Hardcore listeners immediately know it’s not Marshall Mathers. But to the casual ear, it sounds like unreleased material from a prime era, once thought to be long gone.

In the early 1900s, Walter Benjamin made a now-famous argument in The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. He theorized once art is endlessly replicated, it loses its “aura.” He said that its unique presence was tied to time and place. AI Eminem, despite how it feels, has no aura. It’s just a damn simulacrum that tricked me—tricked us—into nostalgia. And that’s what bothers me.

This digital quandary raises existential questions for every creator. What happens when machines can convincingly replicate the artistic peaks of our icons? On the other hand, what if the real Slim Shady decided to use this technology as a mirror, a way to rediscover the old him, the cadences or some new demented inspiration? This is the messy reality of artistry smashing into the algorithm.

Read more at https://allhiphop.com/exclusives/ai-eminem-the-mixtape-we-cant-ignore-but-must-defend-against/

Posted on

Spotify Removes Tens of Thousands of A.I. Generated Songs

Spotify Removes Tens of Thousands of A.I. Generated Songs

Spotify is taking action against the current onslaught of A.I.-generated songs by reportedly removing a bunch of computer-generated tracks from its platform.

Source: XXLMag

The popular streaming platform has taken down tens of thousands of artificial intelligence songs created using start-up A.I. song creator company Boomy, XXL confirmed with a rep for Spotify on Wednesday (May 10). This reportedly equates to seven percent of the songs posted on the platform created by the service, which launched in 2019. The songs were removed flagged and removed not specifically for use of A.I. but for “artificial streaming”—a tactic that utilizes online bots to boost the audience numbers for particular songs.

“Artificial streaming is a longstanding, industry-wide issue that Spotify is working to stamp out across our service,” a rep for Spotify tells XXL about the move. “When we identify or are alerted to potential cases of stream manipulation, we mitigate their impact by taking action that may include the removal of streaming numbers and the withholding of royalties. This allows us to protect royalty payouts for honest, hardworking artists.”

XXL has reached out to Boomy for comment.

The trend of A.I.-generated songs is taking over the music industry, with faux tracks popping up everyday from some of your favorite artists, some of whom are no longer with us. Music conglomerate Universal Music Group is trying to get ahead of the trend. They have successfully petitioned to get numerous A.I.-generated songs from their artists removed from streaming platforms such as Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube.

The A.I. song takeover has sparked a debate as to whether it’s a good or bad thing for the music industry.

Read More: https://www.xxlmag.com/spotify-removes-a-i-generated-songs/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral