This SF HIP HOP Culture RenAIssance panel, “Creative Alchemy: The Rise of the One Day Record Label,” explores how AI is reshaping music while keeping human creativity at the center. Moderator AJ, co founder of Good Trouble, frames the conversation around making sure the community understands AI so no one gets left behind as the tech accelerates.
Willonious Hatcher, named to Time Magazine’s AI 100, explains how he went from stand up comedy and TV writing into AI storytelling and music, using tools to create the viral track “BBL Drizzy” and prove that independent creators can shake up the industry.
Rob Lewis, Grammy Award winning producer and arranger, describes his evolution from AI skeptic to believer. Under heavy deadlines, he used AI to quickly generate strong musical foundations, then applied his decades of orchestration and arranging skills to refine the work.
OmMas Keith, Grammy Award winning producer and member of Sa Ra Creative Partners, talks about using AI like an advanced sampler to generate new chord changes and song forms, then bringing in live musicians to perform and build on top.
Together they stress that AI is another instrument, not a replacement, and that Hip Hop’s culture of sharing, sampling, and experimentation is the perfect mindset for this AI era.