Timbaland has risen to fame for his ability to be a forethinker and create music that’s consistently ahead of the times. He’s sticking to his ways by being one of the biggest advocates of using artificial intelligence in music, and now, he’s officially debuted the first release from his AI artist, TaTa Taktumi.
The new single “Glitch x Pulse” arrived on Friday (Oct. 10) paired with a futuristic music video filled with dancing robots, a spaceship, and a routine by popular dance crew Jabbawockeez. The beat was produced by Timbaland, who also executive produced the video via his AI entertainment company, Stage Zero.
“I pulled up in the spaceship, make a b**ch crease her facelift/ Talk my sh*t on vibrations, 808 conversations/ One on one’s on some greatness, public miseducation, all I read now is statements,” TaTa raps with intentional “glitches” in between bars. Watch below.
The release was met with mixed reactions from his fans. One person commented on Instagram about the perceived lack of certain critical factors, writing, “Where’s the voice inflection? The emotion? The delivery?” as someone else echoed, “This sounds so soulless.” Another top comment on IG read, “I hate that every time I see a Timbo video now my first thought is ‘Is this AI?’”
However, longtime friend and fellow producer Swizz Beatz was supportive by commenting a series of fire emojis. Co-founder of Jabbawockeez insisted everyone else was just “behind” in terms of embracing AI, writing, “Too new for people. Let them catch up. This is [fire].”
The “Apologize” creator’s enthusiasm for AI-generated music has been met with plenty of resistance. He previously explained the motive behind creating Stage Zero and signing TaTa, and he’s enthusiastic about her being the “first icon” of “A-Pop.”
“I’m not just producing tracks anymore,” Timbaland said in a statement to Billboard back in June. “I’m producing systems, stories, and stars from scratch. [TaTa] is not an avatar. She is not a character. TaTa is a living, learning, autonomous music artist built with AI. TaTa is the start of something bigger. She’s the first artist of a new generation. A-Pop is the next cultural evolution, and TaTa is its first icon.”
He has also said he thinks AI-generated music and artists have “more soul” right now than new artists.
“You could feel the pressure of the dividedness, and I hate that. This whole election divided us,” the “Say Something” producer said on The Inner Court back in March. “What I mean by that is it divided the music. The music sounds bland, it sounds boring—it lacks excitement. While we frequently discuss AI, I believe it’s the only entity that embodies a genuine soul right now. It allows for the expression of true feelings, resulting in it coming out beautiful.”