I think we all had a sneaking suspicion that “RUBBERZ” by Fenix Flexin was made with AI. For the longest time, he was insistent that his strange, vaguely British new wave was all an off-the-cuff freestyle in the studio. However, now, he’s finally admitting that he was using it all along.
In a reply to a fan on Instagram, the Shoreline Mafia rapper finally copped using AI after months of denying it. He echoed a similar sentiment that most pro-artificial intelligence artists tell fans: it’s just a tool. Additionally, he claimed that he never said he didn’t use it— he just didn’t use it in the recording process.
“Never said I didn’t use AI, I said it had nun to do with the recording process,” Fenix Flexin wrote. “I didn’t even know what da app was till we mixed it and erybody started commenting. Ain’t nothing wrong with using new technology as a tool, keep up with the times or get left behind.”
This comes on the heels of producer Medasin making a video attempting to prove that Flexin used AI for “RUBBERZ”. There, he broke down Treblo, a software that processes lyrics into the desired vocal effect an artist wants. When the LA rapper tried to prove he didn’t by posting the stems, Medasin debunked it accordingly.
Fenix Flexin Finally Admits to Using AI, and He’s Not Ashamed of It
“Any producer currently knows how these work. He’s taken the Treblo output, used the stem separator that breaks it into four stems—vocals, instruments, bass, drums,” he said of Fenix Flexin. “Underneath that, he has layers of his actual vocals where he has layered himself on top of the Treblo song to try to legitimize it and make it look real. I wish he would just f**king drop this s**t dude and move on and come clean. I have no choice but to get to cooking on another video breaking this down. It’s going to be more embarrassing for him.”
At the very least, Fenix Flexin isn’t alone in his pro-AI stance. Tyga admitted to using it for his latest album $tarface. The only reason he didn’t talk about it sooner was that “it’s similar to a magician explaining how he does his tricks.”
“And I know people are going to be mad about me saying this, but it’s where technology is going. It’s no different than when Auto-Tune came out,” Tyga said. “Some people were opposed to it, but real artists took it and used it. But as far as the writing, all the vocals are all me. There’s nothing wrong with using technology as a tool.”
Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
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