Ever since digital rapper and TikTok influencer FN Meka was removed from Capitol Records’ roster, more details about the project have started to come to light. Anthony Martini, who co-founded the Meka-backing company Factory New alongside Brandon Le, released a statement today (August 25) announcing that he’s exiting Factory New and walking away from the FN Meka project. 

In the statement (which is available in full below), Martini clarified that he is not the creator of Meka but joined the team early in 2020 following the release of some of Meka’s early singles. “It’s become apparent that I should have done more diligence before joining,” he said. “I take responsibility for diving into a project without comprehensively examining its history.” He also referenced the allegations shared recently by Houston rapper Kyle the Hooligan.

Kyle claims that he is the original voice of Meka. In a video posted to his official Instagram account and a subsequent interview with Vice, the rapper alleged that Le enlisted him to voice the character, promised him “equity into the company, percentages,” and then “ghosted” him prior to Meka’s signing with Capitol. He added that the creators “used my voice, used my sound, used the culture, and literally just left me high-and-dry. I didn’t get a dime off of nothing, and they got record deals.”

Martini addressed Kyle in his statement today. “In the past few days, I’ve learned of Kyle the Hooligan’s experience with Meka which is deeply at odds with my core values,” he wrote. “I believe that artists must always be at the center of the creative process and must be compensated fairly.” Martini noted in a follow-up email to Pitchfork that while he was unfamiliar with the circumstances surrounding Kyle being brought into the project initially, “I reached out to Kyle when I heard about it and he explained the story which sounded plausible.” Kyle the Hooligan’s representatives declined to comment on Martini’s statement.

Kyle told Pitchfork that he was the writer behind “Moonwalkin’” and other Meka songs that he rapped on, which stands in contrast with Martini’s claim in a 2021 interview that Meka’s lyrics were AI-generated. Martini walked back that interview in today’s statement. “Those quotes were from a 2021 interview and were meant to create intrigue and provide cover for songs at the time which weren’t ready for scrutiny. FN Meka’s vocals have always been written and performed by humans, which in this case, have been Black voices—to be clear.”

Meka, described by Capitol upon signing on August 12 as “the world’s first A.R. artist to sign with a major label,” was dropped following criticism that the rapper’s appearance and music “is a direct insult to the Black community and our culture,” as activist group Industry Blackout wrote in a statement addressing Capitol. They added that Meka is “an amalgamation of gross stereotypes, appropriative mannerisms that derive from Black artists, complete with slurs infused in lyrics.” Capitol Records severed ties with FN Meka less than two weeks after signing the AI rapper. “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,” the label noted in a statement.

The FN Meka character drew criticism for his use of the N-word in lyrics, and Kyle told Pitchfork that he was the voice on that particular song. Kyle claimed he learned about Meka’s deal on Capitol as backlash began to unfold on social media. “If everything was how it was supposed to be, I would’ve been in that meeting because I was there from the start,” Kyle told Pitchfork.

The rapper is unsure who provided the voice of Meka on the recently released Gunna-featuring single “Florida Water,” but posited that the vocalist is not Black. When asked if he could name the current artist behind FN Meka’s voice, Martini told Pitchfork, “I can confirm he is not white. But I will ask if he wants to speak on anything.”

Kyle claimed that Martini recently contacted him asking him to rejoin the Meka project following the recent controversy. “He was basically like, ‘Yo, how can we bring you back on board,’” he said. “I feel like he only hit me up to try to cover his ends and make things right. He wanted to be like, ‘OK, here’s the guy, this is the guy doing it, he’s part of the team’ to make themselves look good.” 

When reached for comment, Martini reasserted that he wasn’t aware of who the original voice was and claimed he got back in touch with Kyle to help clear up the public misconception about the project being AI-driven. “I knew there was obviously someone who recorded the early music, but was told ‘he was a rapper from brooklyn’ that ‘didn’t want to record anymore,’” Martini said in an email to Pitchfork. “When people started talking about the old songs being made by AI, I asked Brandon who the original rapper was so I can see if he’d speak to the press. Brandon didn’t give me his # so I reached out to him on IG to get his #. Kyle told me his side of the story and I told him I was unaware but I would talk to Brandon about getting him back involved somehow.”

Asked if he could share any further information about the creators and voices behind FN Meka, Martini replied, “I can’t reveal them without asking but I will ask.”

After much consideration, I have decided to sever ties with FN Meka and Factory New effective immediately.

I joined the team in early 2020 because I am truly passionate about the future of digital media and felt my background could help fulfill Meka’s potential in the music industry. It’s become apparent that I should have done more diligence before joining. In the past few days, I’ve learned of Kyle the Hooligan’s experience with Meka which is deeply at odds with my core values. I believe that artists must always be at the center of the creative process and must be compensated fairly.

I debated making a statement at all, but felt there is some basic info that should be available to clarify the record: I did not create FN Meka, nor did I ever claim to. I discovered Meka online almost a year after “Moonwalkin” and “Internet” were released on Soundcloud and after the police brutality Instagram post was already made. I joined the team in early 2020 and was named co-founder with my specific focus being business development and artist management. I take responsibility for diving into a project without comprehensively examining its history. 

As a manager, my role has always been to create opportunities while the artists on our team lead creative. I’ll always defer to the talent when it comes to how they choose to express themselves and will back them in their vision. I can’t speak for what happened before me, but while I was involved, artists on the project were always compensated fairly and participated in the revenue from their work.

I also take full responsibility for the lack of transparency and confusion that my comments about “A.I.” elements in Meka’s music may have caused. Those quotes werefrom a 2021 interview and were meant to create intrigue and provide cover for songs at the time which weren’t ready for scrutiny. FN Meka’s vocals have always been written and performed by humans, which in this case, have been black voices – to be clear.

There are many lessons to be learned from this experience and I believe we have opened important conversations about entertainment in the digital age, the music industry, the metaverse, and what art in general looks like in the future.

Too many artists never realize their dreams because of the labels put on them by society. The music industry is full of talented singers, rappers and producers who never get a shot because a corporation doesn’t think they have “right look” or are “too old” or not “marketable enough”. Whether it’s prejudices they face or simply the artist not feeling comfortable with the body they were born in, virtual characters have the potential to be a true equalizer and the next frontier in representation in the arts.

That is how virtual avatars can and should enable MORE artists to have a platform, not fewer. Throughout my career, whether as an artist manager, a label head, or an executive, I’ve been consistent in my mission to empower creatives and providealternatives to unscrupulous norms in the music business. I will continue to do that. — Anthony Martini