Lil Durk Says A.I. Will Never Replace Him

Artificial intelligence has been the latest item of controversy in the music world. Lately, fans have been using it to craft replica versions of their favorite artists to make computer-generated songs.

In response, a few musicians have pushed back on the trend. In January, Australian singer-songwriter Nick Cave said, “This song sucks” in regard to a track made by A.I. program ChatGPT meant to mimic a song of his. Most recently, Chicago rap icon Lil Durk echoed the same sentiment.

Interviewing with HipHopDX about a new NFT sneaker he’s rolling out, Durk spoke about the pros and cons of A.I. and the metaverse. Specifically addressing its role in music, Durk said A.I. cannot recreate authentic human characteristics.

“I heard them AI deep fakes usin’ my voice, it’s wild what tech be doin’,” he said. “I think A.I. gon’ change how we make music but ain’t nothin’ gonna replace the real deal, them raw vibes and emotions we bring. Just gotta make sure we use it right, ya know? Keep our essence alive.”

Currently, Durk is in the middle of his album-making process for The Voice 2.0. As a sequel to his 2020 LP The Voice, Durk’s upcoming project could contain some exciting guest appearances. Ahead of his performance at last week’s Dreamville Fest, he said in an interview that he and Dreamville boss J. Cole have a collaboration on the way.

“I was gonna do it anyways,” he said about participating in the festival. “I wanted to do it anyway getting to the festival world, but me and J. Cole cooking up something too. We’re just vibing, working, you know what I’m saying?”

Later in the conversation with Amazon Music at the event, Durk said The Voice is his favorite album series of his, considering he’s released other series such Signed to the Streets 1-3, Just Cause Y’all Waited 1 & 2, and Love Songs 4 the Streets 1 & 2. However, he refrained from revealing too much about the forthcoming second volume of The Voice.

“The Voice 2.0,” he said. “Yeah, we finna drop it. But (we) gotta keep (the fans) on their toes.”

Yet to be given a release date, 2.0 will surely see Durk prove that his approach to music cannot be duplicated by artificial intelligence.

(Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)