Haitian Rapper MechansT Issues Apology After Removing Song From New Album That Featured AI-Generated Kendrick Lamar Verse

July 17, 2023 by Ariel Whitely in Music with 0 Comments

MechansT, Kendrick Lamar

Haitian Rapper MechansT Issues Apology After Removing Song From New Album That Featured AI-Generated Kendrick Lamar Verse

Looks like AI in the music world has caused a little bit of confusion.

Haitian rapper MechansT has removed a new song from his album after learning artificial intelligence (AI) was used to create a feature from Kendrick Lamar.

According to reports, MechansT, real name Wens Johnathan Desire, recently dropped his latest song “Goat” seemingly featuring rap star Kendrick Lamar as part of his new album “À Table !” However, it wasn’t long until some realized that the vocals didn’t technically belong to Kendrick Lamar. Instead, they were reportedly produced using AI technology that impersonated the hip-hop artist’s award-winning voice.

Kendrick Lamar

In addition, not only was Lamar’s guest verse not real, the feature was unauthorized for utilization.

On July 13, MechansT reportedly removed the mimicked Lamar track from “À Table !” across all streaming platforms. The Haitian artist then took to Instagram to issue an official press release and apology to his fans, noting that he and his team are investigating the matter.

In part, the statement reads,

“With the evolution of the current events, a decision was made to recall ‘Goat’ and ‘Amanda’ titles from the album with respect to an investigation in regards to allegations against the authenticity of the features. My team and I are working tirelessly to get to the bottom of it and we will share our findings as soon as we come to a concrete explanation of the situation.”

He continues,

“I apologize for the discomfort this may have caused and I want to clarify that the initiative to secure international features with L.A.X & Kendrick Lamar was never to induce in error, but the aim was to bring value to the rich culture of the Haitian Music Industry.”

As you may already know, the evolution of AI-generated vocals continues to spark conversation in the entertainment industry. As previously reported, producer Timbaland is working to normalize the computer-generated practice in the music business. In May, he took to his Instagram to preview a track with vocals that imitated the late rapper The Notorious B.I.G. (AKA Biggie).

Biggie

During the video clip, prior to pressing play on the now-controversial project, the beatmaker said,

“I gotta share something I’ve been working on because I always wanted to do this, and I never got a chance to. I always wanted to work with B.I.G., and I never got a chance to… ’til today! It came out right!”

Despite teasing the unreleased tune, Timbaland shared in a previous interview that it would actually stay in the vault until he gets the “okay” from Biggie’s estate. However, in the meantime, the record producer is focused on “commercializing” AI voice filter software.