Snoop Dogg has shared his reaction to the use of A.I.-generated vocals of Michael Jackson in a cover of C-Murder’s classic single “Down 4 My N’s.” On Sunday (April 30), he became the latest figure in Hip-Hop to comment on the growing trend of A.I.-generated vocals that sound eerily reminiscent to our favorite musical artists.
“This sh*t is outta hand,” the 51-year-old noted on a posted video of the cover, which includes the choppy faux MJ vocals atop the “Down 4 My N’s” instrumental. “Wow,” he captioned the post, which has received nearly 90,000 likes within the first 24 hours.
The subject of A.I.-generated vocals has become a hot topic in recent months. Multiple Hip-Hop artists have had artificial versions of their vocals used in new and resurfaced songs. Those who’ve been involuntarily subjected to the trend include The Notorious B.I.G., Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z, and Drake. There has also been speculation about how artificial intelligence will impact the music industry and the regulatory measures that can be taken as technology continues to advance.
In March, famed recording engineer Young Guru, who’s worked closely with Jay-Z since the late ’90s, weighed in on the debate after the emergence of an A.I.-generated Hov verse.
“I’ve been trying to tell everyone that this is where we are now with AI. For some reason this one got everyone’s attention. So what do we do,” the renowned boardsman wrote. “On one hand I’m well aware that you can’t stop technology. Once the genie is out of the box you can put him back in.
“On the other hand we have to protect the rights of the artist. Not only artist but everyone in society. People should not be able to take your Name, Image and Likeness without permission. We have to add the voice to this law.”
He also noted past instances in which the music industry was slow to react to piracy during the late ’90s and early aughts.
“We have to learn from past mistakes. You would be a fool to chase every person that is going to do this. We learned that lesson with Napster. The only way I see to deal with it is to change the law. There are so many different opinions. We could change the United States law tomorrow but the internet is world wide. What a time we live in!!”
C-Murder’s “Down 4 My N’s” was released in 1999 and features Magic and Snoop Dogg. In addition to being included on C-Murder’s 2000 album Trapped in Crime, the single, which peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, was also released as part of Snoop’s fourth studio album No Limit Top Dogg in the prior year.
Watch the music video for C-Murder “Down 4 My N’s” featuring Snoop Dogg and Magic below.