Jermaine Dupri is reflecting on Milli Vanilli’s 1990 Grammy award getting revoked—and drawing a comparison to the rise of AI artists.
“So let me get this right, years ago the industry found out that Milli Vanilli weren’t really the voices on their Grammy-winning record and they were stripped of their Grammy, but now we’re getting ready to accept people who can’t even sing, creating songs for a fake person?" Dupri tweeted on Thursday. "How is this any different than milli Vanilli?”
In 1990, the German group won a Grammy for Best New Artist following the release of Milli Vanilli’s highly acclaimed debut album, All or Nothing.
The award was later pulled when the creator of the group, Frank Farian, revealed that Milli Vanilli artists Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus didn’t actually sing the vocals and lip-synced performances. Instead, their vocals were sung by other artists.
Dupri’s observation is apt, particularly as AI artists’ music is beginning to appear on Billboard charts. Earlier this week, Xania Monet became the first AI artist to debut on a Billboard radio chart, with her song, "How Was I Supposed to Know?" opening at No. 30 on the Adult R&B Airplay chart.
Monet has also appeared on the R&B Digital Song Sales chart, Hot Gospel Songs, Hot R&B Songs, and Emerging Artists charts.
The creator behind Monet, Telisha "Nikki" Jones, subsequently defended the AI artist. Jones, a Mississippi-born poet, created Monet using Suno, a generative music creation platform.
"Xania is an extension of me,” Jones told CBS Mornings. “So I look at her as a real person.”
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion,” Jones added. “Technology's evolving. Everybody has different ways of putting in work to get to where they're at. I don't feel that way about it. I still love Kehlani's music. I still listen to her every day.”