AI & The Future of Hip-hop

It’s been a wild week.

For the first time in 40 years, there was no rap song in the top 40 (thanks to a new rule that kicked the only rap song present off the charts).

At the same time, an AI artist named Xania Monet charted on Billboard, while another AI artist, Tata, dropped a music video.

Coincidentally…

In 2024, many of the Black execs whose primary roles were to promote “Urban” music (Hip-hop & R&B) were laid off, while two of the most talked about AI artists generate Black music.

And to top things off, the biggest streaming platform out there has just been accused of turning a blind eye to a massive botting operation that allegedly benefited one of the most prominent Hip-hop artists out there.

This would be enough to make anyone wonder about the future of Hip-hop culture after 51 years of dominance.

But, to be clear…

This is more reflective of the state of the music industry, not the state of Hip-hop.

If you’re focusing your attention on the charts, the streams, and artificial artists, you’re looking in the wrong direction.

Nevertheless, some real developments on the horizon will shape the years to come. Below are just a few predictions of what’s in store — some easier to digest than others, but worth talking about.

WHERE ARE THINGS RIGHT NOW?

I. THE GLOBAL LANDSCAPE

Before we talk Hip-hop, it’s worth assessing what’s happening on the global music scene. Specifically, KPop has become a phenomenon.

One of the most popular groups in that genre is a virtual band named KPop Demon Hunters.” A human artist backs KPop Demon Hunters, and their hit record “Soda Pop” currently has 431 million views on YouTube.

The KDH soundtrack even reached number one on the Billboard 200 upon its release.

The key to remember is that, while the visual aspect of the group is virtual/animated, real voice actors are singing the songs, real engineers are handling the mixing & mastering, and a definite human touch is present from start to finish.

Which brings us back to Hip-hop.

II. GENERATIVE AI IS HITTING THE FEEDS & THE CHARTS

“I don’t think you can beat AI” - 50 Cent.

I wrote about this briefly last year, but generative AI music has been making its way onto feeds since Suno & Udio had a mass adoption moment around 2024.

In recent weeks, a new wave of AI-generated songs, including some that 50 Cent co-signed, picked up steam, even catching the attention of the artists who were used as fodder.

In a recent interview with Complex, 50 Cent made an interesting point about the AI version of his song ‘21 Questions’ going viral.

He felt that it was good because it might “find someone he missed” — essentially stating that the Hip-hop version of the song may not have resonated with someone, but the alternate format might reach them and make them a fan.

On the flipside, it’s a slippery slope.

If that rendition takes off, what happens to the other rights holders and their compensation?

Does anyone collect publishing on the song?

Who gets the YouTube money?

What happens if it ends up on the radio or at a public event?

Then there are cases like Xania Monet’s…

Xania is the AI artist referenced earlier, who charted on Billboard.

Her creator, Telisha “Nikki” Jones, was recently interviewed by CBS about her process for creating music for Xania and the inspiration behind her songs.

In short, Telisha inputs her original written poems/lyrics into Suno, along with a prompt describing the type of music she would like to be the backdrop for the words. From there, she generates songs until she finds one that she likes for Xania.

Gayle King asked several pressing questions, but perhaps the most important one is that, although Xania’s creator is Black, what’s to stop a non-Black person from creating their version of what they believe a Black artist should be? And more to the point, would Telisha be okay with that?

There’s a lot to unpack.

And finally, there’s Timbaland.

Timbo sparked a significant debate earlier this year when a beat he generated in Suno was found to contain copyrighted work from another producer, K. Fresh.

Despite the pushback, he recently debuted his new AI artist, Tata Taktumi, a week ago, rapping over a stripped-down bass-heavy beat and appearing almost human.

In a recent interview, Timbaland mentioned that he sees AI as a helper, or a second opinion that opens up his creativity even more.

Moreover, like 50, he essentially says that artists should get with the times or get left behind, likening the reaction of AI to how autotune was first received by Hip-hop.

With all of this said, here are a few things that I think we’ll see in the next few months to a year.

PREDICTION #1: EVERY LABEL WILL (EVENTUALLY) FORM A STRATEGIC AI PARTNERSHIP

Last year, at the height of the Kendrick/Drake Beef, Metro Boomin released "BBL Drizzy," which took off on social media and sparked an entire challenge. It also brought users to a new AI platform called Udio, which Universal eventually sued for infringement.

This week, it was announced that Universal & Udio settled in the form of a strategic partnership — one that allows them to continue operating with legal access to UMG’s music as the AI landscape evolves.

We’ve seen something similar happen in the past. Let’s think back to when Spotify first entered the market.

Labels were reluctant to get on board, let alone meet with Daniel Ek.

Some even sued Spotify, rejecting the premise of free music altogether. After all, the music industry had weathered every storm that had come its way.

But streaming was different.

Napster and other P2P platforms had already shown that we were heading to a future from which there was no turning back. Eventually, the labels caved and granted Spotify legal access to their music, while also taking ownership stakes in the platform.

The point is this…

Whether you think the AI bubble is real or not, Music AI has made enough credible advances to show that there’s no turning back.

There WILL be more AI music, there WILL be more virtual avatars doing lifestyle content + releasing songs.

The question for creatives, record labels, and brand folks alike is about how we respond to these changes.

PREDICTION #2: AN AI ARTIST WILL “ACHIEVE” PLATINUM STATUS

The irony of all of this is that people are listening to these AI songs. A part of Xania’s success is organic to an extent.

However, I think that in an attempt to legitimize AI music and financially justify their strategic partnerships, labels will make a direct push to get an AI artist a gold or platinum song in the near future.

Many of today’s Hip-hop media platforms and social media accounts (some of which are partially owned or secretly run by the labels) are reporting on AI artists like Xania Monet charting and legitimizing her success.

Moreover, with generative AI videos making advances to the point of being indiscernible, coupled with fans not really noticing the difference without doing due diligence on what they’re hearing, it’s not implausible to believe we’ll see more AI “musicians” rise in the near future.

Prediction #3: HIP-HOP SHIFTS BACK TO THE UNDERGROUND

The Billboard discussion from earlier this year ruffled feathers because it spoke to a long-debated issue amongst casual and hardcore Hip-hop fans around stats vs art.

Stats aren’t the end-all, be-all when determining the value of art, and some of Hip-hop’s greatest songs have never cracked the top 40.

However, over the years, the justification of an artist’s greatness has shifted from arguments around their artistic abilities to sales, follows, and other metrics.

Prominent rappers/producers and fans alike online have shared sentiments this week that the culture is moving back underground.

Commercialism already watered down the product, but with AI now being used to remove the actual artist from the work, and labels figuring out how to adjust it, it feels like a movie we’ve seen before (one that ends with the devaluation of the art form on a mainstream level).

However, people who genuinely love Hip-hop will remain faithful to the ethos that makes it special: originality, authenticity, and a human touch. And while every AI tool isn’t bad, I doubt we’ll see the day when a fully AI rapper will be accepted by anyone who takes the culture seriously.

The real is gonna be right where it’s always been: underground establishments, offline, and very much an if you know you know kind of thing.

SO, WHAT NOW?

The truth is that AI will continue to progress, whether we like it or not, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t draw a line in the sand about what’s acceptable, its implications, and what it means for creativity, especially within Hip-hop.

(Granted, one day, if we reach TRUE AGI, I think that we might have to revisit this conversation.)

The upside of these events unfolding is that I think we’ve commoditized art so much that this is officially the moment where we’ve jumped the shark as a culture.

As such, it will force quality to be the true defining metric of relevance—not streams, sales, or chart positions, but rather, is it good or not?

Personally, I like it better that way.

Hip-hop will be just fine. As for the commercial part of it? Ehhh. That remains to be seen.

In the meantime, let’s get back to the real.

One.