EXCLUSIVE: will.i.am On How AI-Powered Radio Will Help Hip-Hop Evolve
will.i.am unveiled the marvels of his AI-powered platform, RAiDiO.FYI, at Invest Fest in Atlanta over the weekend and promptly showed love to numerous cultural titans such as Sway Calloway, KRS-One and Kendrick Lamar while detailing how he envisions the software will revolutionize Hip-Hop and radio using AI.
In addition to breaking the news that Earn Your Leisure’s Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings will partner on a station via the platform, will.i.am introduced the groundbreaking use of the AI software integrated within RAiDiO.FYI.
The platform, which the multitalented Black Eyed Peas frontman promises will transform the traditional radio experience, blends cutting-edge technology with Hip-Hop culture, creating a unique intersection between music, AI and cultural preservation. During the presentation, will.i.am expressed his deep admiration for the “dopeness” of traditional radio as he detailed how his mission to extend its value through RAiDiO.FYI.
“OG Radio is still dope,” will.i.am said. “What’s up Sway? What’s up Big Boy? What’s up Ryan Seacrest? I love radio. This is not to replace it. This is not to disrupt it. This is to amplify it. Celebrate it. What up iHeart? What up Global Radio out of the UK? Capital fm. I love NRJ in France. I mean I love radio.”
will.i.am explained that the inspiration for RAiDiO.FYI came from his own experience hosting a show on SiriusXM with an AI co-host, creating a dynamic and interactive listening experience. He says his interactions with the AI sparked the idea of a platform that allows everyone to essentially do the same and build their own radio stations from scratch.
“It also can display and present in the form of radio that we know,” he said. “We simulated that handoff and then we put our ais at the core of it to be able to go get information.”
To illustrate RAiDiO.FYI’s capabilities, will.i.am simulated an example of how the AI interacts with music by referencing one of Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. album-era hits.
“It also can display and present in the form of radio that we know.” he said. “What happens on radio People are talking over some type of music bed and then they throw to a song—’Yo, what’s up? It’s will.i.am right here with AllHipHop….We’re here at invest Fest in Atlanta…Here’s some of the key points,’ And I’ll tell you the key points. Be like, ‘Yo, speaking of key points, here’s Kendrick Lamar with be ‘Humble’ and then boom, go tagline.”
But will.i.am’s vision for RAiDiO.FYI extends beyond just revolutionizing radio. In totality, he says the goal of this type of software is meant to shape the future of Hip-Hop by ensuring the genre’s cultural and educational influence continues to thrive. While summarizing the importance of harnessing both emerging technology and the inherent integrity of the genre, will.i.am broke down how platforms such as Okayplayer, which he described as the ancestor of modern social media platforms, helped drive the love fans had for Hip-Hop.
“Before there was a Facebook, there was Okayplayer.com,” he said. “In the ’90s, when people were trying to figure out the internet, it was Okayplayer.com. It was before its time. It was social media before social media. And people don’t realize that nowadays how important Okayplayer.com was for Hip-Hop, Soulaquarians, neo-soul, conscious rap, backpack rap—whatever you want to call it—it was a movement.”
will.i.am went on to stress that Hip-Hop still has the power to educate, uplift and inspire, much like it did in its early days when artists and their movements promoted unity and social consciousness. In doing so, he championed the likes of artists such as JAY-Z and KRS-One for their early work laying foundations he feels as though future generations can uncover and build on as time and technology progresses.
“And I think that movement was a threat because shortly after that, Hip-Hop became prison commercials and another industry was fueled,” he said. “Privately owned prisons were fueled by the things that we were celebrating and maybe we were celebrating the wrong things.
“We forgot about songs like ‘Self-Destruction’ [The Stop the Violence Movement] or ‘We’re All In The Same Gang,’ [West Coast All Stars] Togetherness, unity, each one teach one, lifting each other up like Hip-Hop’s everything. Hip-Hop is like fresh soil to plant rich tomorrows for us. Hip-Hop is like the blueprint—not just JAY-Z’s Blueprint, but KRS One’s blueprint. Hip-Hop is ‘Manifest Guru’ [Gang Starr]. These are the words that I manifest and we’ve got to start manifesting these potentials of what we want to be as a collective.”
will.i.am concluded by issuing a call-to-action for both Hip-Hop fans and tech aficionados alike.
“2034 is right around the corner,” he said. “How do we want to rock? I know how these tech companies is investing and taking, pivoting and doing things that will change how we used to do things. And a lot of jobs are going to be rendered obsolete in this next 10 years, next 20 years. So what are we doing? Are we just going to be the recipients of a blow? Are we going to be the designers that design tomorrow, too?”