Method Man might be one of the most beloved rappers of all time, but he claims he hasn't made a cent off of streaming revenue.
In an interview with Wale Ogunleye, the 53-year-old rapper and actor was asked for his thoughts on the increased use of artificial intelligence and how that might impact artists of all mediums. "I'm still trying to figure out A.I., but I have seen some things that have made me raise an eyebrow," he replied. "The Drake diss with the 2Pac and Snoop, the fake Kendrick... It's a lot to it."
Beyond the issues with replicating a real person's voice and likeness, he said there are some other concerns, too. "I mean, I think it goes way deeper than that, especially when it comes to IPs [intellectual properties] for artists that came from my era, because, you know, honestly... I've never gotten a streaming check for any of my music," Meth says at around the 6:15 mark.
Without elaborating on why that might be the case, he said he's "still trying to figure it all out" when it comes to artificial intelligence. "There be someone who can make a perfect mix of the two, where, I'm not saying to accept it, but at least make art out of it," he said. "And that's what I'm always for. The creative part, the art of it."
Earlier in the interview, at around the 4:30 mark, the Wu-Tang Clan rapper was asked to give the music industry a grade and brought up the topic of streaming. "The music industry gets an F," he said. "Took them too long to adjust to streaming, to a point where they're drowning and fighting for trying to tread water right now. And, I don't think it's really working out. Because the way the industry, or rather, the way music is received, has changed so much that they either have to adjust or get the hell out of the way."
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Despite his concerns with the music industry, he graded the current state of music as an art form an A. "As far as music as a whole, it's so many different genres that are crossing into other genres and artists are respecting [each] other," he said. "I just saw Sexyy Red at a country music concert, that right there says a lot."
Check out the full interview with Method Man up top.
