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Timbaland is in favor of a new agreement that is set to benefit a wave of artists in the age of AI. Timbaland has been an advocate for AI, even as it ruffles the feathers of various artists, especially following Xania Monet’s foray into the industry. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Monet is an AI-powered artist who faced criticism from Kehlani, K. Michelle, and Victoria Monet. Monet, created by Mississippi poet and design studio owner Telisha Jones, is signed to a multi-million-dollar record deal and has also charted on Billboard. “You better check out xania monet who’s killing it good music,” Timbaland commented in a post shared on Instagram, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. Timbaland’s endorsement shouldn’t come as a surprise. He became a strategic advisor for Suno, a music creation tool powered by AI, in October 2024, according to a press release. “When I heard what Suno was doing, I was immediately curious,” Timbaland said in the release. “After witnessing the potential, I...
In a recent interview, T-Pain shared he could have made more money from his hit song, “Buy U A Drank.” The rapper from Tallahassee, FL, first experienced commercial success with the release of “I’m Sprung” in 2005, which was the lead single from his debut album “Rappa Ternt Sanga.” The song peaked at No. 8 and remained on Billboard’s Hot 100 Chart for 26 weeks, Revolt reports. In 2007, “Buy U A Drank” was released and was even more successful. The song reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Chart and went triple Platinum, according to Genius. T-Pain reflected on the success of the single and how it impacted his wealth on the “Club Shay Shay” podcast. He made revenue, but suggested he could have earned more if the masters and publishing rights agreement had been different. His song paid respect to rappers Lil Scrappy and Lil Jon, prompting the artists to claim publishing rights. “When I did ‘I’mma Buy U A Drank, then I’mma take you home with me. I got money in the bank.’ As soon as I...
These twin brothers flew across the world to pursue their dreams in anime. Raised in Paterson, NJ, Arthell and Darnell Isom split time between their parents who lived separately. Their mother enjoyed writing, and their father was a musician who also doubled as an artist and liked to draw and paint, Arthell said in an interview with the BBC. Their father was also a carpenter. “I described him as like he’s a serial entrepreneur. So anything that my dad could do, he would do it … And he would create like a whole like business from it,” Arthell said, according to the outlet. It may come as no surprise that the brothers caught the creative bug. They didn’t have many toys, but that didn’t put any limits on their imagination. Arthell recalled to BBC that they would spend a lot of time together and create “fake movies” with their dogs as characters, filmed on a video camera. They would also draw superheroes using the abundance of paper from their mom’s home. “We had like a big black binder,...
Victoria Monét wants to see more guardrails regarding AI’s role in the music industry. In an interview with Vanity Fair, the “On My Mama” singer discussed Xania Monet, an AI artist who topped Billboard charts and secured a multi-million-dollar record deal, as previously reported by AFROTECH™. The AI artist was created by Telisha “Nikki” Jones, a Mississippi-born poet and entrepreneur who writes Xania’s music. “There’s real emotions and soul put into those lyrics,” Jones said in an interview with “CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King. Victoria is among the artists criticizing Xania, suggesting it may have been created using her likeness. Victoria also added that when her friend submitted a prompt to ChatGPT asking it to create an image of “Victoria Monét making tacos,” and the image it generated resembled Xania. “It’s hard to comprehend that, within a prompt, my name was not used for this artist to capitalize on,” she told Vanity Fair. “I don’t support that. I don’t think that’s fair....
K. Michelle wants to find a lawyer to fight against AI’s use of her unique skill and style. On a livestream, the singer responded to a comment about a request to write a song for her. She rejected the request while throwing shots at those leveraging her tone and voice to create music with AI. “You know what? I don’t need nobody writing me no songs right now. I got so much built-up tension. AI people using my tones, and my voice, and all of that. And now I gotta go find a lawyer. All types of stuff going on,” she said in a video shared on X. “Last thing I really need is for somebody to write me a song.” There were speculation that K. Michelle was likely referring to Xania Monet, an AI-generated artist created by entrepreneur and poet Telisha “Nikki” Jones, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. Jones writes all the lyrics for Xania Monet but uses AI platform Suno to create the music and vocals. “I hope that K Michelle and Muni Long sue the creator and win,” Mary Pryor, a director and...
Patti LaBelle has struck a deal with Primary Wave. LaBelle, the independent publisher, has closed a deal with the legendary artist for the income stream from her royalties, according to The Hollywood Reporter. This will include LaBelle’s full catalog, which includes 18 studio albums and three live albums. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed, the outlet reported. “We are so honored to be in business with a legend such as Ms. LaBelle. She’s a true icon and trailblazer. We are looking forward to doing great things together,” Primary Wave’s Steven Greener said in a statement, according to The Hollywood Reporter. LaBelle’s hits over the years include “On My Own,” “New Attitude,” and “Lady Marmalade,” which regained momentum after it was covered by Christina Aguilera, Mya, Pink, and Lil’ Kim in the movie “Moulin Rouge!” (2001). “If Only You Knew,” which was released in 1983, is a personal favorite of LaBelle. “I enjoy ‘If Only You Knew.’ It’s a hard song to sing, but I can...
Def Jam is forever indebted to Warren G. Signing To Def Jam During an interview on “ Drink Champs, ” co-hosted by N.O.R.E., also known as Noreaga, he mentioned that a few individuals are referenced when new artists are signed to Def Jam. These include LL Cool J, its first signee, and Warren G, the rapper who “ singlehandedly ” saved the label. Warren G, a California-born rapper, signed to Def Jam when it was led by then-president Lyor Cohen, According to HipHopDX, he was discovered by A&R executive and manager Paul Stewart. “We were really excited about being down with Def Jam,” Stewart told Rolling Stone. “Def Jam had missed out on all the West Coast stuff. Death Row was killing it. So they were smart, and saw an opportunity,” he continued. One day, when Warren G was leaving Roscoe’s House of Chicken ‘N Waffles, he saw a man selling a crate of records. Warren G purchased all of them for $500, and one of those records was from Michael McDonald. It inspired his 1994 rap single...
Jidenna has shared his thoughts on technology’s influence on the music industry. The artist, recognized for “Classic Man,” has personal ties to the tech sector, which traces to his father, Oliver Mobisson. During the AFROTECH™ Conference 2025 in Houston on Oct. 29, Jidenna referred to his father as “Nigeria’s Steve Jobs,” but he was underfunded . His father taught at Anambra State University of Science and Technology (Now, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University) and was a part of a group that created West Africa’s first commercially produced PC, CNN reports. “I didn’t come up as a billionaire trust fund baby because Nigeria was commissioning him, but didn’t necessarily see the full vision at the time for what PCs would become,” Jidenna said during a panel moderated by Senior Vice President of AFROTECH™ and Live Events at Blavity Inc. Simone Ashley Tyler. Photo Credit: Adrianna Hall Jidenna pursued studies at Stanford University, originally on track to earn an engineering degree, but...
Long live D’Angelo. The “king of neo-soul,” born Michael Eugene Archer in Virginia, was one of a kind, and this was clear in his upbringing in his father’s church. At age 16, he even had his own choir and formed a singing group with his cousins, according to his interview with Wax Poetics in 2020. He continued to nurture his craft and looked to the blueprint of pioneers such as Stevie Wonder. “When it comes to songwriting, I modeled myself after Stevie Wonder. Sometimes you put poetry to beautiful music, and other times you got to come direct,” D’Angelo said, according to Wax Poetics. D’Angelo knew he had talent, and others around him did, too. This recognition likely explains why he dropped out of school as a teenager to break into the music business, CBS News reports. The risk paid off. After being signed to EMI Records, he co-produced Black Men United’s 1994 single “U Will Know,” Variety reports. In 1995, he changed the industry with his debut album “Brown Sugar,” which is...
Chance the Rapper comes from a family that understands the importance of self-determination . Family Influence During a conversation with AFROTECH™, the Chicago-born rapper — Chancelor Johnathan Bennett — said his mother, Lisa Bennett, informed his business mindset . According to NBC, she once owned a hair salon and barbershop on the city’s South Side called Touches. The community revered the shop, but she sold it after giving birth to Chance. “The community that she built through it and the pride that not only she had, but other people had in her business and still have to this day, like when I meet people and they’re like, ‘Your mom used to own Touches,’ I’m just proud of that, and that’s what I aspire to be. A person that could be, you know, useful in the community and also proud of something that they own and build,” Chance explained to AFROTECH™. Looking even further into his past, Chance’s roots in North Carolina were a major influence for the rapper . He recalled picking...
Dr. Dre has invested in a Black-women-owned business increasing food access in Los Angeles, CA. Co-founders Carmen Dianne (CEO) and Kara Still (chief operating officer) are the brains behind Prosperity Market, a farmers market on wheels that supports Black farmers, food producers, and chefs, its website mentions. The Los Angeles Times reports that it was founded in 2020 but launched officially the following year. While Still was a fashion designer, Dianne had experience as a beauty and SFX makeup artist for events, commercials, print, TV, and film. The murder of George Floyd and the onset of COVID-19 brought them together to launch the farmers’ market. “Right after George Floyd was murdered, I wasn’t thinking about makeup anymore… everything shifted so drastically in that instant… all I could think of was ‘we need Black-owned grocery stores.’ I texted Kara so I wouldn’t forget, and then we ended up talking about it a lot on hikes and things like that — until it became a mobile...
Stephanie Dinkins is merging AI and art for an exhibition in Brooklyn, NY. An “artist by birth,” Dinkins began with a display of her photography from a trip to Central America — a trip prompted by her interest in learning Spanish. This exhibit, held in Staten Island, would become her first. Fast forward to 2025, and she has launched an exhibit that is merging art and AI with the goal of creating a more equitable future. Dinkins told AFROTECH™ in an interview that she’s always been drawn to technology, and in 2014 a pivotal moment pushed her to deeply explore how the future is being shaped. She witnessed a humanoid robot on YouTube, called Bina48, being interviewed by reporters. The technology was launched by Hanson Robotics four years earlier based primarily on the personality and appearance of Bina Aspen Rothblatt, a Black woman, the company website mentioned. Dinkins reached out to the company, which permitted her to talk to the robot that was being trained through conversations...
Brandy and Monica’s R&B tunes are still high in demand. The pair released “The Boy Is Mine” in 1998, which was a single featured on Brandy’s album “Never Say Never” and Monica’s “The Boy Is Mine,” both launched that same year. The song led to the first Grammy win for both artists in 1999, according to That Grape Juice, and went double platinum, notes “Good Morning America.” It has stood the test of time. In fact, the classic was also remixed by pop star Ariana Grande in 2024, introducing the hit classic to a new generation. In 2020, it became apparent that fans wanted to see more collaborations by Brandy and Monica. The pair lit up Verzuz, a one-on-one music battle platform co-founded by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, garnering 1.2 million viewers on Instagram, Billboard reported. That battle played a key role in the women’s upcoming co-headlining “The Boy Is Mine Tour,” which was announced on June 24, 2025. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 4 e v e r b r a n d y ♠️ (@brandy)...
Early in life, Afrobeats artist Davido learned to think on his own, a trait that unexpectedly led him to discover his passion for music. During an interview with AFROTECH™, Davido, who was born in Atlanta and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, reflected on the formative years that shaped his path in the music industry. The youngest of five siblings, Davido lost his mother at 5 years old and was raised by his father, Adedeji Adeleke, a Nigerian billionaire who serves as CEO of Pacific Holdings Limited and President of Adeleke University. Despite his family’s wealth, Davido credits the freedom his father gave him as a key factor that allowed him to carve out his own lane in music. “He traveled a lot for business”. “He was a busy man…I think I had a lot of time to kinda find myself and know exactly what I wanted to do in life,” Davido said. “In the beginning, I didn’t really have him in my face, like, how he was with my siblings like, ‘Oh, dude. Go to school. I want you to be this.'” Davido...
Kendrick Lamar and SZA have made history in the music industry. Grand National Tour The Grammy-award winning artists are frequent collaborators and performed together at the 2025 Super Bowl LIX performance in New Orleans. The pair later embarked on the “Grand National Tour,” which kicked into gear on April 19 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, according to USA Today. The tour, presented by Live Nation, pgLang (Lamar’s agency), and Top Dawg Entertainment, made its way to 19 stadiums in cities such as Los Angeles, Houston, Las Vegas, and Atlanta, mentions Seattle’s Lumen Field. Concluding the North American leg on June 18, the tour will continue throughout the U.K., Europe, and Australia. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kendrick Lamar (@kendricklamar) This has marked the first stadium tour for both artists. “There’s so many firsts happening back to back,” SZA said on the “Sherri” show . “I can’t express what it’s like to go through life for the first time but in front...