 "that's when your idols become your rivals This line comes from Drake’s song “Thank Me Now.” But I don’t think Drake knew how much A.I. would be coming for him. ChatGPT we’ve all heard about it. It’s become the new world changing thing and the new buzzword for 2023. Basically, it’s artificial intelligence or A,I. that a real person can use natural language to ask questions and get answer in seconds. But deeper than that is that It do so much more like, write a book, give you business ideas, or even write this blog post. Well not this one. But the thing that excites most people is just ChatGPT but it’s the boundless wonders of artificial intelligence. We’ve all seen the sci-fi thrillers about computers taking over the world. But no one would’ve seen artificial intelligence coming for the music industry. When we say artificial intelligence taking over the music industry, we’re not talking about a Control verse from Kendrick Lamar that turned the hip-hop game on its head back in 2013. Naw this is even genre less and is truly coming for everybodddyyyyyy!!!! Artificial Intelligence is a game changer for all genre’s just like the CD was to the tape cassette or Napster was to CDs. The thing that’s got the game in a frenzy is Voice Cloning!!! Voice Cloning is defined as the creation of an artificial simulation of a person's voice. Today's AI software methods are capable of generating synthetic speech that closely resembles a targeted human voice. In some cases, the difference between the real and fake voice is imperceptible to the average person. We’re not talking about some funny T-Pain microphone that takes your voice and makes have autotune. No we’re talking about taking your voice and making sound exactly like Drake’s. DRAKKEEEEE!!!! Yes, this is where we are now. No longer are these fairytale movie Mission Impossible relics. These are real life now relics. People are creating songs using AI to create songs using big name artists. Just this year a creator used A.I. to recreate Drake’s voice to be on a track. But he didn’t stop there. He also uploaded it to DSPs like Spotify and Apple Music. Can you do that? The creator quickly found out you can’t after Universal Music Group (UMG) made all DSPs take the song down. Has there ever been an AI artist? There actually has.been one. The most famous being FN Meka who was a rapper that was created by developers that used A.I. to mold him into an artist. The crazy part is that he was even signed to Capital Records, a legitimate human record label. The thing that got him in trouble was the fact that he was a seemingly white avatar who said ‘Nigga’, with his artificial chest. So who should be help accountable? The white developers? Or the technology? Also ironically enough the voice used to rap the lyrics for FN Meka was a black rapper named Kyle The Hooligan. So does that make it better? It’s like a black person being a puppet, who is basically repeating lines from a white person. So if he didn’t write the word nigga but given the script to say it instead. Is that OK? But A.I. isn’t just being used by regular people, big name people are now starting to use A.I. to create music. In early February David Guetta, who is a famus French DJ and producer, used A.I. to recreate Eminem’s voice to be featured on a track and then played this track on one of his dj sets in front of a massive crowd. He noted in an interview how easy it was. Get a 15-second snippet of his voice, then typing the lyrics. And voila. Eminem on a track. He stated that since he’s not uploading this to any DSPs or monetizing of the track that it’s not illegal. But if you don’t get Eminem’s consent. Is it ethical? That’s the question that legendary producer Timbaland looks to answer with the new software he is working on. Earlier this month he dropped used this software to create an original verse with the late legendary rapper Notorious B.I.G., which is a collaboration he’s always wanted to do but never got the opportunity to. But now this new software that uses the coined term “AI voice filters” to create songs. He says this will also be a better option because it will involve the actual people whose voices are being used. Problem solved right? Maybe, only time will tell. A.I. is changing the game. A.I. is here. A.I. is only going to get better. We say it with Napster which eventually another company called Spotify decided to create relationships with the record labels in order to what Napster couldn’t. Now with A.I. it’s really a race to see who can create the relationships with record labels so that A.I. and the music industry can co-exist. And the winners or problem solvers will be millionaires. It’s the people who don’t adapt who will be left behind. But best believe we are only at the tip of the iceberg for what A.I. is going to do to the music industry. Let me know what you think in the comments below.
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 When it comes to Kanye there is no doubt that his legacy will live as one of the greatest artists ever. When it comes to producers he’s Top 5. When it comes to impact on the culture there’s no doubt he’s Top 5. Let’s be honest here. Kanye West inspired Drake’s style after he dropped his album “808 & Heartbreak”. This one album was a pivotal turning point in hip hop music that helped birth a new style and subgenre of hip hop. The album also created a clear divide in hip hop between the old generation of hip hop that was all about bars and hard-hitting bass. As compared to the new generation that uses auto-tune and is more melodies and the. Before this album hip hop was a boxing sport. And there’s no crying in hip hop. 808 & Heartbreak changed this. Now it was OK to express your feelings instead of holding up the facade that you’re OK. You gonna get these emotions in these raps which the hip hop purists wanted no part of, and Kanye was the one who took most of the slack for it. That’s until a Toronto-born rapper by the name of Drake broke onto the scene with his new mixtape called “So Far Gone”. So Far Gone was so far left and different from any mixtape that it can be considered his first album. The album was filled with melodic singing, auto-tune, emotional turns and twists, and also bars. These are all the things that Kanye was was being crucified for when he dropped his album 808 & Heartbreak. But when the Toronto rapper did it. It seemed to be more well-received. Maybe this was the start of the love-hate relationship/boxing match that has occurred through the years and would start a rap beef between two of hip hop's greatest to ever do it. But let’s not get into the beef. There are plenty of blogs that have covered the Kanye West vs. Drake Beef. Here’s one if you need it. (Drake & Kanye West's Relationship Timeline Prior to Concert (highsnobiety.com). Instead, let’s get to the concert. On November 8th the internet went crazy as Kanye West and J. Prince posted a video to Instagram with Kanye West calling for the Drake & Ye beef to come to an end, and most importantly. A concert. Not just any concert. Thee concert! A concert that featured only Ye and Drake. Nobody thought this would happen. Including Drake. In a sense, Ye had forced his hand by; 1. Having one of his mentors and father figures J. Price endorse Ye’s message about needing to squash the beef and even perform together. 2. The concert was a benefit concert for one of the most polarizing figures in the culture, Larry Hoover. How could he say no without losing his Certified Lover Boy title? In my eyes, Drake had no choice and reluctantly agreed to the concert. So, the date was set, and it was finally real. On December 9th the concert of a lifetime would be happening.  Flash forward to December 9th. Ye and Drake spottings had been pretty much radio silent on both social media accounts. But when walking to the stadium it was apparent that this was actually happening. The sold-out LA Coliseum was the host for what would be bigger than any USC game that would be played there. Additionally, the number of people there could easily overwhelm the small ratio of staff there. When looking back the most disappointing thing about the concert was that there was no actual merch from either artist. The only thing present for sale were Free Larry Hover sweaters and hoodies. This was obviously a missed opportunity on both artists’ parts to get a bag. But let’s just say for the benefit’s sake they wanted to keep it about Larry Hoover. But was it really about Larry Hoover? The concert started with Ye and Drake walking down the coliseum steps while a choir sang. But there was not one mention of Larry Hoover. I wasn’t expecting a telethon or CashApp donation call to action. But at the same time there was no mention of Larry Hoover, no speaker that came out, no speeches, even the performer’s Drake and Ye barely even mentioned his name or the cause. The cause seemed to be about the concert more than any actionable steps to get Larry Hoover free. This was the Kanye and Drake show! So that leads to just how good was the show? The show was amazing. There were surprisingly no opening acts. Just the two legends. Kanye performed first. He performed around the whole stage and gave people wanted they wanted. Old Kanye hits. From “All Falls Down” to “Can’t Tell Me Nothing”. Kanye performed the songs of his older material with 2 or 3 songs from his post-Yeezus catalog. Kanye was definitely giving the people a show. The most viral being the performance of “Find Your Love” by Drake that appeared on Drake’s album “Thank Me Later” which was actually produced by Kanye. Everyone felt Kanye’s heartfelt plea to his wife Kim Kardashian West to come back. It was 808 & Heartbreak reminiscent. Now that leads us to our last performer. Drakeeeee!!!!! Let’s remember that Drake was kind of forced to perform. And it showed in his performance. He didn’t have that bounce that you usually see. Also, his song selection told a lot about how he felt about performing. This isn’t Drake featuring Drake. Drake did perform Kanye’s single “24” of his album Donda which he performed way better than Kanye could’ve. But to see Drake in his element and in his bag would've been a high. There were some stand out songs he did perform such as "No Friends In The Industry" and "God's Plan". He even shouted to the crowd to help him sing 21 Savage's part on "Knife Talk". The magic of the whole concert was seeing both Kanye and Drake go back and forth on stage. Kanye performing “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” and seeing Drake hype him up. Then seeing Drake perform “God’s Plan” and seeing Kanye right there singing word for word. It was only right that they both end the night with their song “Forever” that appeared on Lebron James soundtrack More Than A Game. For what was more than just a concert. This was Ye and Drake on the same stage. Something that may never happen again. As both artists embraced and rode off into their respective security transports, I couldn't help but think. This was a special night. One you had to be there to believe or had to stream to believe if you have Amazon Prime. But I only say this because it ain't telling when the beef will start again. It also ain't no telling if the concert actually will help get Larry Hoover free. But in the meantime, here’s a video recap of some of the best performances of the night. Day 7, I know some of ya'll are going from Boyz II Men, and it's almost the end of the road....OK..OK... enough with the song references, lets get to business. Like Jay-Z said, "I'm not a businessman, I'm a business....man...". Don't forget about what you bring to the table anytime you do a deal, inexperience doesn't mean that you should bey on the losing end of the deal, ask Mark Zuckerberg a college dropout who had no business experience. Your inexperience just means that you have to know more and research more than the person across from you about to shake your hand. I A crazy article on this same subject called "Black Teens Are Breaking The Internet And Seeing None Of The Profits" by Doreen St. Felix, explains how black teens are creating content for these major brands to later use to try to market to these same demographics but the teens aren't seeing a penny of it. Remember every time you post a picture of that pair of J's or that new Polo you are marketing for these companies "FOR FREEE", Or everytime your create that new dance or slang that you see in the T-Mobile commercial or Betty White, they are getting paid to say and do these. So why shouldn't you? Whenever you promote someone else's brand you are missing out on opportunities to market your own brand. So be a business, mannn....
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