Virtual Rapper FN Meka got dropped by his label Capitol Records after a backlash around stereotyping and appropriation.

Capitol Records offered an apology to the black community.

The official statement:

“CMG has severed ties with the FN Meka project, effective immediately. We offer our deepest apologies to the Black community for our insensitivity in signing this project without asking enough questions about equity and the creative process behind it”.

Capitol Records infuriated the black community with the signing of the virtual rapper.

The statement from “Industry Blackout”

“While we applaud innovation in tech that connects listeners to music and enhances the experience, we find fault in the lack of awareness in how offensive this caricature is. It is a direct insult to the Black community and our culture. An amalgamation of gross stereotypes, appropriative mannerisms that derive from Black artists, complete with slurs infused in lyrics.

“This digital effigy is a careless abomination and disrespectful to real people who face real consequences in real life. For example, Gunna, a Black artist who is featured on a song with FN Meka, is currently incarcerated for rapping the same type of lyrics this robot mimics. The difference is, your artificial rapper will not be subject to federal charges for such.”

The Industry Blackout continued to blast Capitol Records:

“For your company to approve this shows a serious lack of diversity and resounding amount of tone deaf leadership, this is simply unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

“We demand this partnership be terminated, a formal public apology be issued, FN Meka removed from all platforms. Furthermore, all monies spent by Capitol Records and Factory New for this project will be allocated to charitable organizations that directly support Black youth in the arts, as well as marketing budgets for Black artists signed to Capitol Records. We look forward to your response and compliance.”

Capitol immediately dropped the virtual rapper following the official statement from Industry Blackout.

Intelligence Platform from Q Scores, the industry standard for measuring celebrities’ star power suggests Will Smith’s numbers sharply dropped months after the Academy Awards ceremony, when the actor smacked Chris Rock on live television.

Before the outburst, Smith ranked among the top rated actors in Q Scores’ semiannual surveys which polled nearly 1,800 U.S.consumer, placing him alongside Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington. Smith’s positive Q Score plummeted from 39 to 24, which “a very significant and precipitous decline.” according to Henry Schafer, executive VP of Q Scores.

Sometimes there is no second chance, no second time.

At the 94th Academy Awards, actor Will Smith walked onstage and slapped comedian Chris Rock across the face during Rock’s presentation for Best Documentary Feature. The slap was in response to Rock making a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. Smith returned to his seat and shouted profane remarks at Rock, who responded congenially and completed his presentation.

Check out the infectious mid tempo track Everybody Hates Me by indie folk artist Hazlett. The song could fit easily on any Spotify indie playlist.

Hazlett landed features in NME, Clash, The Line of Best Fit, and Atwood.  With the rising musician currently working on more brand-new material for his upcoming full-length album debut with Nettwerk, it’s clear Hazlett is weaving his way to something bigger.

Tell me about how your new song came about?
It actually came about because of the pandemic. The isolation really got to me. Because life was so online I found myself reading into any communication I had and making up scenarios in my head. I wrote the line “everybody hates me“ as a jokingly blunt way to explain my feelings and I actually had every intention to change it. But the more I sat with it, I realised just how close to home it hit. It was exactly how I felt.

Have you always been a story teller?
I think so. To some extent it was accidental though. I write a lot to figure things out in my own head and when I take a step back it does look a lot like I had some stories to tell. Subconsciously It’s probably because my favourite songs of all time have been these kind of grandiose timeless stories.

Do you have to be vulnerable and brave to tell your life story?
I think it takes a fair bit of courage yeah. But I wouldn’t consider myself brave or vulnerable. Music is my own outlet to help the tough times. The more I’ve put my songs out the more I’ve received messages of how they’ve resonated with people. I think that has been the safety blanket in putting myself out there more and more. Knowing others are in it with me.

Check out So Mysterious by Noshows. The track fuses all genres together hip hop, pop, funk, jazz, alt-rock realms, and still makes perfect sense. NYC based Noshows started out as a solo act and morphed into full band quickly gaining their footing in venues like Bowery Electric, Arlene’s Grocery, NY’s Pleasantville Music Festival.

“So Mysterious” is about randomly running into someone who feels like the one that got away after just one conversation, mostly because of their mysterious vibes. This idea of the unknown may be what’s alluring you but you’re blinded by your infatuation with this person and end up filling in the blanks because you’ll likely never see them again. That’s sort of the experience I was trying to communicate with this song, somewhat foolishly falling in love with just the idea of somebody.

Adele said the Vegas Shows had no soul and cancelling the residency was the worse moment of her career.

The singer told Elle Magazine: “It was the worst moment in my career, by far. By far. I was so excited about those shows. It was devastating.”

She went on to say: “There was just no soul in it. The stage setup wasn’t right. It was very disconnected from me and my band, and it lacked intimacy. And maybe I tried too hard to give it those things in such a controlled environment.”

“The first couple of months was really, really hard. I was embarrassed. But it actually made my confidence in myself grow, because it was a very brave thing to do. And I don’t think many people would have done what I did. I’m very proud of myself for standing by my artistic needs.”