But just weeks after the Black male cyborg debuted its first single under the major label, Capitol Records shelved the effort over criticism from Black music industry professionals who said the virtual character was fashioned out of reductive stereotypes. The company announced on Tuesday that it has “severed ties with the FN Meka project, effective immediately.”
“We offer our deepest apologies to the Black community for our insensitivity in signing this project without asking enough questions about equity and the creative process behind it,” Capitol Music Group said in a statement shared with CNN. “We thank those who have reached out to us with constructive feedback in the past couple of days—your input was invaluable as we came to the decision to end our association with the project.”
“While we applaud innovation in tech that connects listeners to music and enhances the experience, we find fault in the lack of awareness in how offensive this caricature is,” the letter read. “It is a direct insult to the Black community and our culture. An amalgamation of gross stereotypes, appropriative mannerism that derive from Black artists, complete with slurs infused in lyrics.”
The group also demanded that Capitol Records and Factory New direct all funds spent on FN Meka toward causes that support young Black artists.
