Hey, everyone. Slopthony Sloptano here, the internet's sloppiest music nerd. It's time to talk again about the growing disease of AI.

Once again, we have seen AI-generated music, making some waves on the Billboard charts. Most recently, we spoke about this in respect to the AI-generated gospel and R&B artist Zania Monet, Zanaya. Who cares? This thing isn't even a real person.

"Zanaya is an extension of me, so I look at her as a real person."

But you can't sing. And how mediocre Zanaya's music was and how disturbing it is to see it catching on with certain listeners. Now it just seems like we're seeing this slop get a foothold in genre after genre. We saw it a little bit in rock music with The Velvet Sundown, and now it's in country, too, via a new song called "Walk My Walk" from this fictional country group or artist, Breaking Rust.

I love how repeatedly these AI interfaces and AI supporters and artists can't really seem to come through with anything else other than what feels like an amalgamation of random words that we associate with these sounds and styles. That is certainly what this song is.

However, I will mention before we get into the track itself. The reason I am talking about this is, again, the fact that this song has made it to number one on a Billboard chart. A lot of headlines talking about this story are ignoring what exact Billboard chart that is. It's the country digital song sales chart, which I mean, for sure, the number one spot on that chart is a place where a worthwhile artist who's actually putting heart and effort in their own personal ideas into their music. That should be a spot reserved for that artist.

However, Billboard continues to stand silent on the AI issue and is instead, apparently just celebrating and posting about how this AI crap is making waves in the music industry, when, as I've said this before, and I'll say it again, Billboard could decide tomorrow to say, "Hey, you know what? No AI music on the charts. No AI music on the charts. None of this generated AI shit on the charts."

Look, another reason I think Billboard should consider preventing AI artists like this from climbing up the charts in this way is that, honestly, I'm not entirely sure that this number one spot wasn't earned through some botting or gaming of the system in some way. I mean, in conversations I've had with people in the music industry, those involved with streaming, AI music and botting often come hand in hand because unfortunately, a lot of these losers who generate this AI bullshit feel entitled to have this crap get exposure and get views and get attention. It has very little to do with the passion for the art form and everything like that.

I think that is painfully apparent when you actually listen to Breaking Rust's music, specifically this "Walk My Walk" song. I mean, first off, when we look at this track and we look at other songs from Breaking Rust, especially those that tend to make reference to Outlaw Country or being an outlaw, you get a sense of how stupid and larpy and out of touch this musical project really is. Because again, what the fuck does this artist and what the fuck does Breaking Rust know about being an outlaw or doing anything that would get them into some legal trouble, do something anti-authoritarian? There's nothing legitimately outlaw about anything going on here.

Again, as I've said before, platforms like Billboard are essentially ushering this bullshit in with no question. How exactly are you guys going against the grain? Outside of that, the lyricism and messaging on this "Walk My Walk" song boils down to a bunch of lone wolf bullshit.

"I'm going to walk my walk. I'm going to talk my talk. No one can stop me because I'm walking my walk. Been beat down, but I don't stay low. Got mud on my jeans, but I'm ready to go. They say, Slow down, boy, don't go too fast, but I've never been one to live in the past."

And what's worse is that it doesn't even sound like country music. It's just like Netflix original show, intro theme, stomp, clap, overproduced bullshit with a bit of an accent on it, and that is it. Jolly Roll absolutely, positively should sue.

And even if I do suspect on some level that this music is being botted and shoved down our throats through some weird back-end means. I find the supposed popularity of this track very funny and very ironic, given that we've just gone through a year of people freaking out and flipping shit over how country or country Beyoncé is not because of the freaking Cowboy Carter record when, honestly, I can't think of anything less country and less outlaw than a thing that's not even real.

But if there are people who are genuinely consuming this garbage music and enjoying it on some level, it just goes to show that at the end of the day, for these individuals, the music that they listen to is less about the perspective of the artist that they're hearing on the song and more about how much of themselves they can project onto some trite, cliché bullshit about how you're going to keep on talking your talk and walking your walk and not changing your tone or your song because you're like such a free and authority defying individual.

Yeah, you're a real rebel listening to shitty AI music like a fucking moron.

"You can hate my style. You can roll your eyes."

You have no style. You are AI.

"So kick them rocks if you don't like how I talk."

Oh, yeah, man, you're so badass. Yeah, get the heck out of here. Kick rocks, buddy.

It's like if the AI wasn't allowed to cuss. We're like outlaws, but we don't say bad words. Never in a million years would we tell someone to fuck off. No, just get out of here. Kick rocks down the road, why don't you?

"Let the haters talk. Let the rumors fly. I ain't got no time to wonder why."

First off, again, you have no concept of time. You don't exist. Time is nothing to you. And also, what Outlaw Country cowboy is singing about the fucking haters? Haters are not an Outlaw Country construct.

"The good Lord knows the man I am, I'll die standing tall with a mic in my hand."

Who the fuck wrote these lyrics, Kid Rock? Are these Kid Rock lyrics?

Okay, look, I'm sorry. If this appeals to you on any level, you are an idiot. You are stupid. This should mean nothing to you because, in fact, it is nothing. Nobody thought or felt these words. They're just randomly generated off of other songs people have created, and that's it. The substance of this song is as riveting and as impassioned as a piece of live, laugh, love decor from Marshall's. Please get a goddamn grip.

Again, I am going to continue to assume on some level that the number one spot here on this digital country song sales chart was unearned because who just flies up to number one on that chart unless there's some strategy in mind? But still, with that being said, the song does seem to be getting engaged with on some level on social media. And even if the popularity of Breaking Rust is a little bit astro-turfed, it's still taking up space in the online world, in the music world, that should be reserved for an artist who's actually trying to make some actual music.

Anthony Fantano, Breaking Rust, uh, Forever.