Award-winning Ghanaian rapper M.anifest has sparked debate after strongly criticising musicians who depend entirely on artificial intelligence (AI) to create songs, arguing that genuine human creativity should remain at the heart of music.
Speaking on the growing influence of AI in the entertainment industry, M.anifest clarified that he is not opposed to the technology itself. Instead, he believes AI should be used to improve music production and workflow rather than replace the creative process of songwriting.
“I’m not trying to downplay it. It’s good for a lot of things, maybe for your show and similar uses. But I’m against it when it comes to the creative side,” he said.
The rapper questioned whether songs generated entirely through AI prompts could truly be regarded as art, stressing that human expression is what gives music its emotional value and authenticity.
“Use AI for things like production. But making songs with prompts? That’s terrible. You should be ashamed of yourself. I want to call out some people I’ve seen even in Ghana using prompts to do this. Where’s the human involvement in letting AI write your whole songs? Without human involvement, is it art? It’s just artificial,” M.anifest added.
His comments come as AI-powered music tools continue to gain popularity worldwide, enabling users to generate lyrics, melodies and even complete songs within minutes. While some artists embrace the technology as a creative assistant, others fear it could undermine originality and the role of human artistry.
M.anifest’s remarks have already generated lively discussions on social media, with many fans agreeing that AI should complement creativity rather than replace it, while others argue that technological innovation has always influenced the evolution of music.
As AI continues to reshape the entertainment landscape, the debate over its role in songwriting is expected to remain one of the industry’s most closely watched conversations.
