Iconic Twin Cities rapper Eyedea finds new life with AI-generated album - CBS News

The late Twin Cities rapper Michael Larsen, professionally known as Eyedea, has returned to the airwaves through a new album generated entirely by artificial intelligence. Larsen, a renowned freestyle battle rapper who passed away in 2010, is now the subject of a controversial posthumous release that utilizes his legacy of handwritten lyrics and past audio recordings.

What happened

To create the project, Larsen's mother, Kathy Averill, and longtime friend Willy Lose collaborated to preserve the rapper's extensive body of work. The production process involved feeding thousands of pages of handwritten lyrics, some dating back over thirty years, into an AI program. This data was combined with existing recordings of the artist to synthesize new vocal tracks. Willy Lose described the process as a puzzle-like endeavor, noting that he felt as though he were working alongside Larsen throughout the creation of the album.

Public reception to the release has been divided. While some fans and acquaintances who knew the rapper during his youth find the vocal synthesis remarkably authentic, others have expressed disappointment that the music was mechanically produced. The project has also sparked significant debate regarding the morality of using AI to revive a deceased artist's work. Despite the mixed reactions, Larsen's mother remains hopeful that the abundance of remaining handwritten lyrics will facilitate the production of future AI-generated albums.