Image
Image Credit
Gilbert Flores / Contributor via Getty Images and Aaron J. Thornton / Contributor via Getty Images
Image Alt
Baby Tate at the Spotify Best New Artist Party on February 1, 2024 and Muni Long attends the 2025 BET Awards
Image Size
landscape-medium
Key Takeaways:
- Baby Tate criticized AI artist Xania Monet’s prompt artist, Telisha “Nikki” Jones, for lacking creativity and authenticity in her music process.
- Muni Long and others questioned the double standard of AI artists being embraced in R&B but not in other genres.
- SZA, Kehlani and Chlöe also voiced concerns about AI’s growing presence in the music industry.
Artificial intelligence’s place in music, particularly in predominantly Black genres like rap and R&B, has been a controversial topic. On Thursday (Nov. 6), Baby Tate took to social media to weigh in on AI artist Xania Monet.
A day earlier (Nov. 5), Monet’s prompt artist, Telisha “Nikki” Jones, sat down with Gayle King for an interview on “CBS Mornings.” There, Jones explained that she uses Suno, an AI music-generator app, where she pastes lyrics and adds prompts such as “slow tempo R&B” before hitting create.
Reacting to their conversation, Baby Tate took to Instagram, saying, “Girl, what the f**k? At the very least, you couldn’t have had someone make a beat?” She went on to argue that Jones is “not doing any work” and “can’t even sing,” the latter of which King herself brought up.
“This is not creativity. This is covetousness. Those who lack real talent everywhere will look at this example and think that they, too, deserve a space next to the incredible minds that make up the music industry,” Baby Tate added in the caption. She then called it a “slap in the face to every creative in the world” for AI artists like Monet to have music appearing on Billboard’s charts.
Notably, Monet’s “How Was I Supposed To Know?” reached No. 1 on the R&B Digital Song Sales chart. The virtual artist has also appeared on other Billboard charts, including Adult R&B Airplay and Emerging Artists.
Underneath Baby Tate’s post, Muni Long commented, “It wouldn’t be allowed to happen in country or pop.” She also pointed out that Xania Monet’s Apple Music bio listed her, Keyshia Cole and K. Michelle as references. “I’m not happy about it at all. Zero percent,” the “Hrs & Hrs” hitmaker added.
Baby Tate and Long join a growing number of artists pushing back against AI musicians. In September, SZA reacted to Monet’s reported multimillion-dollar record deal. “I don’t f**k with this either. Why devalue our music???” she wrote on Instagram. “Something tells me they wouldn’t do this [with] any other genre.”
Kehlani also weighed in on their Stories: “Nothing and no one on Earth will ever be able to justify AI to me.” Over on X, Chlöe chimed in, “AI musical artists and songs? I feel AI should be banned when it comes to the creative spaces.”