Pete Rock Slams A.I. Music: “It’s Mad Disrespectful”

Pete Rock labeled A.I.-generated music “mad disrespectful” on Twitter, Sunday morning. The post came after a song created by artificial intelligence that mimicked Drake and The Weeknd went viral on social media. The iconic hip-hop producer clearly isn’t a fan.

“AI is mad disrespectful and if y’all dont see that but think this AI stuff is dope then you are a part of the problem,” he wrote in the post. “They cant beat Black culture, so what do they do when they cant measure natural talent? Silly shit like AI! AI is such a cowardly act that bears no real soul or feeling.”

Pete Rock Performing At SXSW

AUSTIN, TX – MARCH 14: Pete Rock performs during Salaam Remi Presents: Louder Than Life at Remedy during SXSW 2014 on March 14, 2014 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Rahav Segev/Getty Images)

Fans had mixed responses to Rock’s post. One disagreed while still praising his talents as a producer: “I don’t get why @peterock is so hot about AI. Do you think AI can really dig into crates like you and sample and remix songs that haven’t even been digitized. I understand why vocalist would be hot. But no AI could ever match Pete Rock and @REALDJPREMIER. Why you salty?” Another was in full agreement with Rock: “I agree with you 100% @PeteRock. If Artificial Intelligence existed in the 1970s there would be no Hip Hop today.”

Rock is far from the only artist to criticize the use of A.I. in music creation. Drake also complained after the fake song of his went viral. “This is the final straw AI,” Drake wrote online. Universal Music Group also shared a statement to the Financial Times revealing that they plan to take legal action. “We have a moral and commercial responsibility to our artists to work to prevent the unauthorized use of their music and to stop platforms from ingesting content that violates the rights of artists and other creators,” the company said. “We have become aware that certain AI systems might have been trained on copyrighted content without obtaining the required consents from, or paying compensation to, the rightsholders who own or produce the content.”

Pete Rock’s Take On A.I.

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