Fenix Flexin Admits AI Role in “Rubberz” After Months of Denial

Los Angeles rapper Fenix Flexin confirmed that generative-AI software was used in the creation of his viral single “Rubberz.” The statement reverses a pattern of evasive replies that had persisted since the track’s release in June.

Fenix Flexin Admits AI Helped Create Viral Hit “RUBBERZ” After Earlier Denials

“Rubberz” sparked immediate speculation because it departs from Flexin’s West-Coast trap style, embracing an 1980s-style synth-pop sound and a deliberately exaggerated British accent. The shift coincided with rapper Tyga’s public admission that his album *$tarface* employed AI, heightening scrutiny of AI’s role in mainstream hip-hop. Early analyses noted vocal timbres and high-note deliveries that differed from Flexin’s previous work, prompting listeners to question whether the track was human-made or AI-assisted.

Fenix Flexin Finally Admits He Used AI For “Rubberz”

• June 2024 – “Rubberz” is released and enters the Billboard Hot 100.

Fenix Flexin Admits AI Helped Create Viral Hit “RUBBERZ” After Earlier Denials

• July 30 2024 – Producer Medasin posts a video alleging Flexin used the AI music platform Treblo (formerly Sonauto) to generate the track.

Is Pop Music Entering Its AI Era? The Fenix Flexin Controversy Could Be a Turning Point

• Early August 2024 – Flexin posts the Instagram comment admitting AI involvement but denying its use in the recording process.

Complex

• Billboard performance: Complex reports the song peaked at No. 58 on the Hot 100, describing it as the first fully AI-generated track to chart. XXL lists the track at No. 66 on the same chart.

Complex

• AI detection: Treblo’s proprietary detection tool flagged “Rubberz” as “very likely” generated by its model, and the company states the tool’s false-positive rate is below 1 in 10,000.

Is Pop Music Entering Its AI Era? The Fenix Flexin Controversy Could Be a Turning Point

• Fenix Flexin (Instagram, August 2024): Emphasized that AI was a “tool” and that it did not affect the recording process.

Complex

• Treblo (company co-founder, August 2024): Confirmed the detection result, noting the low false-positive rate of the algorithm.

Is Pop Music Entering Its AI Era? The Fenix Flexin Controversy Could Be a Turning Point

• Medasin (producer, July 30 2024): Released a detailed breakdown highlighting a file named “Sonauto”—the former name of Treblo—and reproduced a similar song using Treblo prompts, arguing the platform could replicate the track’s sonic profile.

Is Pop Music Entering Its AI Era? The Fenix Flexin Controversy Could Be a Turning Point

• The Verge (analysis, 2024): Identified “artifacts and anomalies” typical of AI-generated music, such as brittle hi-hats, low-bitrate-style vocal compression, and abruptly cut reverb tails.

Futurism

• Charlie Harding (songwriter and music podcaster, 2024): Noted specific audio oddities that align with generative-AI signatures.

Futurism

Sources differ on the exact Billboard peak: Complex cites No. 58, while XXL cites No. 66. No publicly available forensic evidence definitively proves whether the AI-generated elements were inserted before or after the final mix, leaving the technical provenance of the track unresolved.

Complex

• “Ghostly backing vocals duck in and out unexpectedly. The drum reverb is full of unnatural digital artifacting reminiscent of a 64kbps MP3 downloaded off of Napster,” — Charlie Harding

Futurism

The “Rubberz” controversy arrived as a coalition of major record companies—including Sony Music, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, BMG, Concord, HYBE, and Partisan Records—proposed new international principles for chart eligibility of AI-assisted recordings. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) also released guiding principles on AI-generated music. The debate now centers on whether chart compilers and streaming platforms should require disclosure of AI involvement, and how listeners’ ability to detect AI-infused tracks may shape future industry standards.

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