In the current age of technology, improvements are happening at a fast rate and affecting a multitude of businesses, hip-hop included. It’s become increasingly questionable whether the music that’s out there is actually that of artists who were inspired by artificial intelligence or whether they were inspired by it. The music industry is currently experiencing a creation that could be for the better or worse. This question has not been fully addressed and will probably continue for some time. Who else would have ever imagined that suspicion may turn into an instinctive reaction to recently released music or that some kind of verification may be required to be able to listen to tunes with ease? Music fans can explore this unfamiliar territory five ways to determine whether a song is authentic or if it’s been altered by an outsider who has knowledge of the landscape.
Before getting into how to tell the difference, there’s some dots to join. Former UMG Chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge, who has been a foundation for decades in the music industry, has witnessed a number of changes, starting with the release of CDs and then moving to AI. Grainge shared his thoughts with The New Yorker back in January on the most recent music-related creation. He claimed that “technology has done a very good job for the business.” However, the lifelong audio professional is also supportive of the U.S. Congress’ No AI Fraud Act, saying the “legislation is important” and could be viewed “as a form of identification extortion.”
With this one, the economy seems to be on both sides of the coin. The CEO of the Recording Academy declared at the Fast Company Innovation Festival 2023 that “AI creativity” won’t be awarded. The Recording Academy and the US Copyright Office conversed about the best ways to protect music producers in the first place next month.
As it pertains to rap especially, AI is singularly decisively altering the hip-hop experience. Which tunes are genuine and which are false has become incredibly challenging to decipher. XXL speaks to AI professional Daniel Anstandig, even the CEO and co-founder of Futuri Media, to get to the middle of how to determine the authenticity of a track. He explains that “detecting AI-generated anything (even hip-hop diss songs) is challenging because of how effective the technology has become.”
Anstandig does acknowledge that a lot of the music we hear now incorporates AI parts in some way. “Furthermore, the line between AI and human development is blurred in modern music creation,” he shares. “Almost all producers use DAWs that incorporate AI-assisted apps and processing.” There are likely elements that AI has shaped or enhanced, yet in songs that we might brand as entirely “human-made.” It’s challenging to separate the individual from the device in the creative process because we’re ultimately merging with the technology.
There have been rap tracks circulating on the internet over the last year that contain the image of some of the genre’s biggest titles by using AI: Drake, Ye, Lil Wayne, Future, and, most recently, Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg—seemingly at the hands of Drizzy. Songs that really sound legitimate lose their accuracy due to AI and should be probably taken with a grain of salt. Especially if the actual artists don’t promote the record themselves.
The unverified “leaked” Brown trash record aimed at Kendrick Lamar and others in April, which was assumed to be artificial, would serve as an excellent illustration. Music fans were first made aware of the track’s legitimacy when it was stamped by Drizzy with articles in his Instagram Stories and finally made it available for streaming services a few days later. The music, later titled “Push Ups,” is comprised of a series of quips in response to Future, Metro Boomin, and Kendrick Lamar’s “Like That” report that was released days earlier on Prospect and Metro’s We Don’t Trust You record.
Therefore, there was the alleged dissension by Kendrick Lamar against AI, which music fans had before his brand confirmed the record was made through AI. The presumed Kendrick insult came soon after Drake launched his fiery weapon, “Push Ups,” targeting not just Kendrick, but Future, Metro, Rick Ross, and The Weeknd. When Drizzy delivered “Taylor Made Freestyle” via an Instagram post on April 19 that included AI lines from Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur, some praised his distinctive approach and baffled people.
The golden question is: how does one determine what’s real and what’s fake when it comes to AI? XXL offers five hints from Daniel Anstandig to determine whether a song is authentic or if technology is significantly influencing this newfound deception.
1. Listen for lyrics that are generic or overused. Is there a distinct style and a surprising element?
2. Pay attention to the artist’s repetitive patterns when contrasting their original composition. AI-generated lyrics—at least when GPT is used—tend to be packed with clichés.
3. Is the performance authentic and full of emotion?
4. Do some imperfections have a human feel to them? This is hard though because even AI systems are baking in subtle imperfection to “feel more human.”
5. As for AI detection services, approach them with a grain of salt. While some use sophisticated algorithms, they’re notoriously unreliable.
