So Is Fenix Flexin’s “Rubberz” AI or What?

Fenix Flexin’s summer anthem “Rubberz” was plagued by artificial-intelligence allegations almost as soon as it dropped. On its way to the Billboard Hot 100, the song started a comment-box and social-media war over its own provenance, the ethics of AI, and whether anyone cares. (Turns out they do.) People thought the rapper’s distinctively nasal voice had developed an unlikely kinship with Morrissey. The track went viral on Instagram—mostly because, as Pitchfork’s Alphonse Pierre wrote in early June, “it’s ridiculous that an L.A. rapper known for twerk anthems and prescription drug punchlines now suddenly is pretending he grew up getting his heart kicked in on the streets of Manchester.”Fenix denied the claims and, under mounting scrutiny, stood fast. “No sirrrrrrr, recorded same as all music I do!” he responded to one naysayer. “Only difference is auto-tune reverb and me using my fake uk accent lol.”Allegations and refutations continued to fly. It seemed as if Fenix—a former member of 2010s West Coast rap crew Shoreline Mafia—would secure “Rubberz” the song of the summer mantle by virtue of pure, stubborn pride. Two developments have undermined his version of events, however. Last ...