According to hollywoodreporter.com, Capitol Music Group announced on Tuesday that they severed ties with the A.I. rapper FN Meka after public backlash from activist groups and observers alike, that the rapper was a stereotypical caricature of black artists. The spokesperson is quoted in saying, “CMG has severed ties with the FN Meka project, effective immediately, We offer our deepest apologies to the Black community for our insensitivity in signing this project without asking enough questions about equity and the creative process behind it. We thank those who have reached out to us with constructive feedback in the past couple of days — your input was invaluable as we came to the decision to end our association with the project.” Capitol Records originally signed with the virtual artist that was co-created by Anthony Martini and Brandon Le, who are both part of the company Factory New that specializes in making virtual music artists. In an open letter shared earlier on on Tuesday, the activist group Industry Blackout had described the FN Meka project as being, “direct insult to the Black community and our culture.” The group went on to call for Capitol Records to cut ties with the rapper and issue an apology on top of redirecting the money spent by Capitol Records and Factory New on FN Meka toward organizations that support Black Youth in the arts and help market Black Artists signed with Capitol Records. As of Tuesday afternoon, FN Meka’s artist page on Capitol Records website has been taken down, as well as, the press release originally announcing the signing.
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