Rapper M.anifest has criticised the growing trend of musicians using Artificial Intelligence (AI) prompts to create entire songs, arguing that music loses its artistic value when human creativity is removed from the process.
While making it clear that he embraces technological innovation, the award-winning artiste believes AI should remain a support tool rather than the driving force behind songwriting.
Speaking during an interview on Woezor TV on July 29, 2026, the “No Shortcut to Heaven” hitmaker said he has no issue with AI assisting in technical aspects of music production. However, he strongly objects to musicians relying on prompts to generate complete songs with little or no creative input of their own.
According to M.anifest, artistes who depend entirely on AI to produce music should reconsider their approach.
“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.
For the rapper, the debate goes beyond technology and centres on what qualifies as genuine artistic expression. He questioned whether songs produced entirely by AI can truly be regarded as art when there is no meaningful human contribution behind them.
He maintained that creativity is the defining element of music and warned that allowing AI to replace the role of the artiste risks stripping the craft of its authenticity.
“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.
Beyond the creative concerns, M.anifest believes listeners deserve to know when a song has been generated by AI. He called on digital streaming platforms (DSPs) to introduce clear labels identifying AI-created music, allowing audiences to make informed choices about what they consume.
He likened the proposal to the “Parental Advisory” labels that traditionally appeared on albums containing explicit content, arguing that a similar system could be adopted for AI-generated works.
“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 2017 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards Best Rapper of the Year winner also revealed that he has no desire to listen to AI-generated music himself. In his view, streaming services should introduce a feature that enables users to block AI-created tracks from appearing in their recommendations or 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.
Despite his strong criticism of AI-generated songs, M.anifest emphasised that he is not opposed to technological advancement. He said AI has an important place in creative industries when used to enhance production processes, but insisted that it should never replace the human imagination at the heart of artistic creation.
“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 further stated.
@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
