Achi news desk-
Rollie Pemberton foresaw the progress of the machines, he did not expect it to happen so quickly.
Two years ago, as he began work on his new techno-skeptic album “Rollercoaster,” the rapper known as Cadence Weapon envisioned a future where the algorithm sanded our humanity, elevated derivative art and transformed the world , not necessarily for the better.
“Now it feels like everything I talk about is coming to an end,” he suggested in a telephone interview from his home in Hamilton.
Pemberton isn’t pessimistic about all aspects of technology but it’s hard for him to ignore how quickly society – including the music industry – is adopting new tools with potential consequences they can’t yet fathom.
On the same day that Pemberton’s album came out last month, Drake took on Kendrick Lamar by releasing the track “Taylor Made Freestyle.”
The lyrical grenade used artificial intelligence to emulate guest vocals from Snoop Dogg as well as the late Tupac Shakur, who appeared alongside the Toronto hip-hop star spitting a verse he’d never written or rapped when he was live
The track angered Shakur’s estate, which threatened legal action unless it was pulled from all platforms. Within hours of her statement, Drake expelled her from his social networks.
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But for some, the damage was already done. And it sparked debate about the ethics of popular artists using AI voices to create deep fakes while their record labels try to silence online creators who use AI to make their own sound-alike songs.
“I couldn’t think of a better advertisement for my album because this is exactly what I’m talking about,” Pemberton said.
“I feel very satisfied with the way technology blends with music.”
Pemberton previously dabbled in dystopian tech culture with his Polaris Music Prize-winning album “Parallel World” in 2021, which included “On Me,” a song about the effects of the modern surveillance state.
A “rollercoaster” plunge into a world buffeted by supposed progress. Scattered throughout the album are reflections on a culture addicted to social media apps where creators of unpaid content find value in the perceived value of their “likes.”
On his track “My Computer,” the Edmonton-born rapper spits a stream of Web 2.0 buzz words that crash against a synthesizer beat. Each verse exposes the false promises being marketed to a generation hypnotized by capitalism.
“Bots” goes straight for the music industry’s jugular, portraying it as a cynical universe dominated by gatekeepers who maintain fake fans online while performers forget the creativity of gimmicks meant to sink their numbers streaming.
“I’m talking about artists that I consider making boring, derivative music,” Pemberton said.
“I personify them as bots and computer algorithms in human form – and here we are Drake literally doing what I’m talking about.”
“Press Eject” suggests the solution to the technology conundrum: just log out.
Pemberton said he has been leaning more towards that perspective lately.
“We’re right in the middle of the dead internet theory,” he said, pointing to a conspiracy theory that the internet has been overrun by bots and AI-generated content.
“On Twitter, you post something and half the time it’s just a conversation between robots.”
“That’s my problem,” he added. “Even Googling something, you’re not going to get the answer.”
The way Pemberton sees it, many of the most prominent apps are slowly moving towards obsolescence. All seem doomed to fall out of fashion or be subject to antitrust legislation that cuts them apart. It’s one reason he says he’s not losing sleep over robots stealing his rap career.
“I’m not afraid of a machine,” he said, “because it will never be as sick as I am.”
& copy 2024 The Canadian Press
