Artificial intelligence is increasingly entering the music world, with AI-generated artists gaining attention on charts and in media coverage. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Telisha “Nikki” Jones, a poet and entrepreneur from Mississippi, has made headlines for her AI creation, Xania Monet. The artist’s debut single, “How Was I Supposed to Know?,” has already secured Jones a multi-million-dollar recording contract with Hallwood Media following a competitive bidding process that reached $3 million. In an interview with “CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King, Jones discussed her approach to creating Xania Monet.   The 31-year-old emphasized that she writes all of the lyrics herself, often drawing from poems she has been composing since she was 24. “There’s real emotions and soul put into those lyrics,” Jones said. She added that “How Was I Supposed to Know?” was inspired by the death of her father when she was 8 years old. After writing the lyrics, Jones uses the AI platform Suno to...

At 21 years old, Brooklyn Frost brings her creativity to her streams, social media, and music, engaging millions of fans across Twitch, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube with her voice, energy, and perspective. Streaming Success Brooklyn Frost has built an audience that spans 1.3 million Instagram followers, 2.2 million TikTok followers, over 600,000 Twitch followers, and more than 1 million YouTube subscribers. Per Essence Girls United, watching her brother create content first, she said she was drawn to the energy, creativity, and connection that streaming offered. Stepping in front of the camera herself, she realized she could tell her own story. “Streaming gave me a space to be myself in real time, to laugh, to talk, and to build a genuine community that grew with me,” Frost told AFROTECH™. Her first Twitch subathon in December 2024 was a milestone, earning her 10,000 new subscribers and averaging 13,000 views per stream, according to Complex. Frost celebrated the achievement with...

Disney has suspended its channels from YouTube TV, including ESPN, after the two companies failed to reach a new distribution deal by 11:59 p.m. ET on Oct. 30, 2025. YouTube TV announced the news in a blog post just over three hours before the deadline. The company said it had been negotiating with Disney “in good faith,” but accused the media giant of using “the threat of a blackout” to push for higher prices. Disney is “now following through on that threat,” YouTube TV wrote, calling the move to suspend their content one that “directly harms” subscribers while benefiting Disney’s own live TV offerings, such as Hulu + Live TV and Fubo. YouTube TV, whose parent company is Google, said it will offer subscribers a $20 credit if Disney’s channels remain unavailable for an extended period. On Oct. 23, YouTube TV said in its blog that Disney had proposed “costly economic terms that would raise prices on YouTube TV customers and give our customers fewer choices.” “With a $3 trillion...

Former CBS producer Trey Sherman is accusing his employer of only laying off people of color on his team. The Wall Street Journal reported that nearly 2,000 Paramount employees were being laid off, including those under CBS. The company’s chief executive, David Ellison, said the layoffs were to address “redundancies that have emerged across the organization,” while also removing roles that don’t align with the company’s “new structure” that will prioritize growth. Sherman, who is Black and served as an associate producer for canceled “CBS Evening News+”, per New York Post, took to TikTok to reveal that the show had been canceled and every producer on his team who was laid off was a person of color, while those who found new roles within the company were white. He claimed that he had personally asked each white person on his team if they had been laid off, and they each said no. “Every person who gets to stay and will be relocated within the company is a white person,” Sherman...

Debra Lee sees great opportunity in the digital landscape. The former CEO of BET acknowledged during a conversation held at AFROTECH™ Conference 2025 that it’s hurtful to see Black programming under attack. In the past two years, various shows rooted in the culture were cut, such as “61st Street,” “South Side,” and “Sweet Life: Los Angeles,” and in June, it was announced that CBS and NBC were canceling a number of Black-led shows, including “Poppa’s House,” according to the Nubian Message. “It’s very hurtful to see the progress we’ve made in Black programming and programming targeted to the Black community, but also programming we hope all people will watch,” Lee told AFROTECH™ in an interview . “It’s very hurtful to see that under attack. And I think it’s really necessary in our society for groups to understand each other.” Photo Credit: Ismael Quintanilla III She explained, “I think the numbers show that there’s an audience for it. When you look at the movie ‘Sinners’ or you look...

Hip-Hop artist Nas and Resorts World New York City have announced a combined $2 million donation to support the construction of The Hip Hop Museum in the Bronx, according to a press release. The announcement was made during the museum’s second annual benefit gala and reflects Resorts World’s 15-year record of supporting cultural institutions across New York City’s five boroughs. The contribution will support the museum’s ongoing capital campaign as it moves toward a 2026 opening. Located at 585 Exterior St. within the Bronx Point complex — a mixed-use building that includes affordable housing, public spaces, and cultural facilities, per the Bronx Times — The Hip Hop Museum is intended to serve as a center for community, education, and the preservation of hip-hop’s global legacy. “Hip Hop has always reflected the culture of New York City, from its emergence in the Bronx to Queens’ own, Nas,” said Kevin Jones, chief legal and chief strategy officer at Resorts World New York City, in...

Def Jam is forever indebted to Warren G. Signing To Def Jam During an interview on “ Drink Champs, ” co-hosted by N.O.R.E., also known as Noreaga, he mentioned that a few individuals are referenced when new artists are signed to Def Jam. These include LL Cool J, its first signee, and Warren G, the rapper who “ singlehandedly ” saved the label. Warren G, a California-born rapper, signed to Def Jam when it was led by then-president Lyor Cohen, According to HipHopDX, he was discovered by A&R executive and manager Paul Stewart. “We were really excited about being down with Def Jam,” Stewart told Rolling Stone. “Def Jam had missed out on all the West Coast stuff. Death Row was killing it. So they were smart, and saw an opportunity,” he continued. One day, when Warren G was leaving Roscoe’s House of Chicken ‘N Waffles, he saw a man selling a crate of records. Warren G purchased all of them for $500, and one of those records was from Michael McDonald. It inspired his 1994 rap single...

Paramount has launched a new round of layoffs affecting staff across CBS Entertainment, MTV, BET, and other divisions, The Wrap reports. The cuts, which began Oct. 29, are part of the company’s restructuring under new CEO David Ellison following its merger with Skydance Media, which officially closed in August, according to a Paramount press release. The first phase will impact about 1,000 employees, with an additional 1,000 to 2,000 expected to be let go in the coming months, per The Wrap. Those affected include several longtime television executives, among them Paramount Global Content Distribution head of marketing Teri Fleming; CBS Entertainment senior vice presidents of current programming Pamela Soper and Amanda Palley; BET senior vice president of scripted programming and development Rose Catherine Pinkney; MTV head of music and celebrity talent Wendy Plaut; MTV/Paramount+ vice president of music program development and documentaries Amanda Culkowski; and CMT senior vice...

AI-generated and AI-assisted music has appeared on Billboard charts across various genres, including gospel, rock, and country. In recent months, according to Billboard, at least six AI or AI-assisted artists have debuted on these rankings, though the total number of songs or artists using AI is not yet clear. Some artists disclose their involvement with AI on streaming platforms, while Billboard reports using detection tools, such as Deezer’s identification system, to verify AI-generated or AI-assisted content. Billboard Entries And Commercial Performance Xania Monet, an AI-powered artist created by Mississippi-based songwriter Telisha “Nikki” Jones, has charted on multiple Billboard listings. Jones produces Xania Monet’s music by blending her own lyrics with live recordings and the AI platform Suno, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. According to Billboard, Xania Monet’s “Let Go, Let Go” reached No. 3 on Hot Gospel Songs, and “How Was I Supposed to Know?” peaked at No. 20 on Hot...

“Agent Ratliff, ID No. 33712,” a popular YouTuber born Calimar White, has been sued in federal court by a Baton Rouge, LA, business over comedy sketches where he poses as a fake government agent. According to WBRZ News 2, Holmes Building Materials Inc. and supervisor Derek Jones filed a defamation suit against White, alleging that an Aug. 12, 2025, YouTube video with over 120,000 views damaged the company’s reputation. The lawsuit claims that White, joined by another comic and a cameraman, visited Holmes’ business on Aug. 1, 2025, and, implying they were acting under government authority, deliberately misled employees, WBRZ reports. White allegedly identified himself as a federal agent with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), claiming he and a colleague were investigating employee complaints at the business. He supposedly accused the supervisor of racial harassment, nepotism , and other misconduct. In the YouTube video, White refers to his agency as...

50 Cent is joining a growing number of musicians experimenting with artificial intelligence to reimagine their music. According to Complex, the rap veteran recently transformed two of his hits, “21 Questions” and “God Gave Me Style,” into old-school R&B tracks. He explained that AI allows his older songs to reach listeners who may have missed the original releases. “Look, if it will reach someone that I missed, someone who couldn’t hear what I was trying to say to them in the writing, they can hear it now in that format,” he told Jordan Rose for Complex in an interview. By converting his classics into new styles, 50 Cent is exploring how technology can broaden his audience while keeping the original songwriting intact. The rapper also highlighted the quality of AI-generated voices, noting that they rival the singers of the original era. “I don’t know where the AI got these voices from, but these are some good voices,” he said. “Like, if these guys came out in that time period, they...

Long live D’Angelo. The “king of neo-soul,” born Michael Eugene Archer in Virginia, was one of a kind, and this was clear in his upbringing in his father’s church. At age 16, he even had his own choir and formed a singing group with his cousins, according to his interview with Wax Poetics in 2020. He continued to nurture his craft and looked to the blueprint of pioneers such as Stevie Wonder. “When it comes to songwriting, I modeled myself after Stevie Wonder. Sometimes you put poetry to beautiful music, and other times you got to come direct,” D’Angelo said, according to Wax Poetics. D’Angelo knew he had talent, and others around him did, too. This recognition likely explains why he dropped out of school as a teenager to break into the music business, CBS News reports. The risk paid off. After being signed to EMI Records, he co-produced Black Men United’s 1994 single “U Will Know,” Variety reports. In 1995, he changed the industry with his debut album “Brown Sugar,” which is...

Decades after its release, Prince’s 1984 album and film soundtrack, “Purple Rain,” is seeing renewed momentum. According to Forbes, U.S. sales for the album more than doubled over a one-week period as it returned to multiple Billboard charts. Luminate, a leading entertainment data and analytics company providing trends, behaviors, and insights across music, film, and television, reported that “Purple Rain” sold just over 3,100 copies in the latest U.S. tracking week, up from about 1,400 the week before — a 119% increase, according to Forbes. The outlet reports that the surge helped the album return to Billboard’s Vinyl Albums chart at No. 13 and the Top Album Sales chart at No. 38. The increase suggests that many of the recent purchases came from vinyl sales. “Purple Rain” has remained a consistent favorite among fans of physical records and is often mentioned alongside albums such as “The Dark Side of the Moon” by Pink Floyd and “Legend” by Bob Marley & the Wailers as essential...

Warner Bros. Discovery is exploring the sale of its company in light of “unsolicited interest” from multiple parties, a press release confirms. A few months ago, the company had announced it would be splitting into two companies: Streaming & Studios and Global Networks. The purpose is to improve its shareholder value and improve its presence in entertainment, sports, and news, according to a press release shared by the company. The Streaming & Studios company would include Warner Bros., DC Studios, HBO, and HBO Max, as well as film and television libraries. Global Networks would consist of entities such as CNN, TNT Sports, and Discovery in the U.S., some European channels, and digital products including Discovery+ and Bleacher Report (B/R). “The cultural significance of this great company and the impactful stories it has brought to life for more than a century have touched countless people all over the world. It’s a treasured legacy we will proudly continue in this next chapter of...

Rolling Stone has merged with VIBE, Billboard reports. According to Rolling Stone CEO Julian Holguin, the merger will allow the outlet to strengthen its content in Hip-Hop and R&B. Rolling Stone will make investments in VIBE’s “video, podcasts, long-form journalism, social media, and experiential opportunities,” Holguin told the outlet. As part of the merger, Vibe will also launch a new interview series featuring conversations with notable names in music, sports, and fashion . “We are thrilled to announce that VIBE is joining forces with Rolling Stone. This historic team-up will enable Rolling Stone to level up the publication’s Hip-Hop and R&B coverage, allowing RS to dive deeper into the culture … VIBE will continue to power cultural conversations and reestablish itself as a driving force for commentary and reporting. Our goal is to continue the mission VIBE was founded on while leveraging Rolling Stone to amplify its presence across all platforms,” Holguin said, according to...