Making music with AI prompts is shameful - M.anifest

Rapper M.anifest has opposed musicians using Artificial Intelligence (AI) prompts to generate songs, insisting that such a practice strips music of the human creativity that makes it art.

Speaking in an interview on Woezor TV on July 29, 2026, the “No Shortcut to Heaven” hitmaker clarified that he is not against the use of AI in music production.

According to him, AI can be a useful tool in areas such as production and other technical processes, but he draws the line at using prompts to create complete songs without human input.

M.anifest said musicians who rely entirely on AI to generate their music should be ashamed of themselves.

“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. Use AI for things like production. But making songs with prompts? That’s terrible. You should be ashamed of yourself.

“Making songs with prompts, you should be ashamed of yourself. You can use technology to help you make music. I’m all for it. I’m pro-technology. But if you’re making music solely with prompts, shame on you,” he said.

According to the rapper, the absence of human involvement in creating music raises questions about whether AI-generated songs can be regarded as art.

‘I want to block AI artistes from my algorithm’ - M.anifest appeals to DSPs

He argued that creativity should remain at the heart of music and warned against allowing technology to replace the artiste’s role entirely.

“I want to call out some people I’ve seen even in Ghana using prompts to do this. Letting AI write your whole songs. Where’s the human involvement? Without human involvement, is it art? It’s just artificial,” he noted.

M.anifest also called for greater transparency on digital streaming platforms (DSPs), saying AI-generated songs should be clearly labelled so listeners can decide whether they want to engage with such content.

Drawing a comparison with the “Parental Advisory” labels previously placed on music containing explicit lyrics, he argued that AI-generated music should carry a similar form of identification.

“I think there should be freedom of choice. If you like AI music, that’s fine. But it should be identified as such. When I was younger, music with explicit lyrics carried a ‘Parental Advisory’ label. In the same way, they should tell us if it’s an AI artiste. Then you have the option to decide if you like it or not,” he urged.

The winner of ‘Best Rapper of the Year’ at the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) in 2017 further disclosed that he personally has no interest in listening to AI-generated music and believes streaming services should give users the option to filter it from their recommendations and playlists.

“Me personally, I would like to ban AI artists from my DSP. There should be a button where, if you don’t want to hear AI-generated music, it doesn’t appear. Those who want to hear it can. I have no interest in listening to AI-generated music,” he said.

M.anifest reiterated that he is not opposed to technology itself. He stressed that AI has a place in the creative process when used as a supporting tool, but maintained that creating an entire body of work solely through AI prompts undermines artistic expression.

“I have no problem with music where people use AI tools to help create. Technology is technology, and you have to use it. If you’re making a film and you need AI to help with colour grading or other production tools, that’s fine. But the idea of using AI to create everything from start to finish, I’m against it,” he added.

@longjondeblogger

Manifest finally touches on the importance of A.I in music on my sister Asantewaa tv show called Tune talk on Woezor tv

♬ original sound - Long Jon Deblogger