American Record Label Capitol Records released an official statement on Tuesday to confirm that the brand has “severed ties” with the virtual artist FN Meka, soon after receiving backlash from black social activist groups. 

Earlier this month, Capitol Music Group signed FN Meka to release his single Florida Water along with the American Rapper Gunna and online gamer Cody Conrad. The robot rapper was created in 2019 by the cofounders of Factory New—Anthony Martini and Brandon Le. 

Capitol Music Group has cut all relations with the FN Meka project, a spokesperson for the company told The Hollywood Reporter. “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. 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.”

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Racial controversies of appropriation of black mannerisms and cultural stereotypes started surfacing around Meka’s physical appearance and lifestyle. Meka’s music videos also consist of N-words and racial slurs while also mimicking racial profiling and police brutality against black individuals. 

The FN Meka project has been criticized by the activist group Industry Blackout, which represents a group of Black industry professionals. In an open letter shared on social media, the group accused the Meka project of an “amalgamation of gross stereotypes [and] appropriative mannerisms that derive from Black artists, complete with slurs infused in lyrics,” and for being a “direct insult to the Black community and our culture.”

The activist group also urged Capitol Records to cut ties with the robot rapper, issue a public apology and redirect the money invested in the project to support Black artists and musicians. 

Soon after the open letter, Capitol Records removed all press release information and the artist’s page from their official website and all streaming platforms.