Neural, 2016

(with cubo.cc + sabotage family + RZO)

WHAT

First Rap song ever created with A.I.


WHERE

Zipper Galeria, Sao Paulo


WHEN

2016


HOW

Making Off

Neural is the first Rap ever created with AI.


Nowadays, songs created by artificial intelligence or in collaboration between human artists and AIs are, almost, commonplace. However, in 2016, it was quite different. It was a substantial effort to work with algorithms to define methodologies that are now commonplace, such as style transfer, and the training was costly. However, none of these challenges were enough to stop a group of Brazilian creatives from resurrecting one of the greatest rappers of all time, creating and releasing what would be the first rap full track co-created with an artificial intelligence.


The first Rap ever created with AI marked a significant breakthrough, signaling a trend of convergence between this new computational paradigm and human creativity. This Culture Milestone came from Brazil and the training base for its neural network was the entire repertoire of the man who is arguably the greatest Brazilian rapper Sabotage, killed in 2003.

JP Cavalcanti at Zipper Galeria Neural marathon presenting the idea of neural net training for the family, producers and collaborators of the dead rapper Sabotage to give real-time feedback for the machine to learn best decisions in tune with the rapper’s ‘creative mind’

WHAT

First Rap song ever created with A.I.


WHERE

Zipper Galeria, Sao Paulo


WHEN

2016


HOW

Making Off

In an unparalleled merging of technology and creative expression, the first Rap song created by an A.I. was birthed, bearing the signature of Sabotage. With IPs distributed to his lifetime contributors (RZO and Negra Li) and his family (son and daughter) the breakthrough of Neural is not just concerning technology and human-machine collaboration, it also created real innovative frameworks for legal and distribution issues of this nature of cultural product.  


Drawing from the rapper's rich repertoire and style, an innovative algorithm was crafted, serving as an intellectual crucible that sought to emulate his unique creative process and stylistic flair. This endeavor underscores the potential for A.I. to intersect with art, not just as a tool for replication, but as a partner reimagining creation itself. 


After the network was trained, the work was initiated and completed inside a human-machine marathon inside the gallery during a 48-hour period. The lyrics were created, polished and the music generated in a human-machine collaboration tour de force. This partnership was not only in the literature of the lyrics, the soul of hip-hop culture, but also in the choices of music production itself. This process gave rise to the track "Neural", found exclusively on Spotify, which supported the project.


At that moment, Sabotage was live again, his voice reverberating in digital echoes, transcending the bounds of mortality through the conduit of technology. It's a testament to the enduring power of his artistic vision, even as it underscores the intriguing possibilities inherent in the confluence of A.I. and music, at the rhythmic coding of creativity through the lenses of this new computational paradigm.