Derek Minor Defends AI Christian Topping Artist Amid Forrest Frank's Concerns
Milton Quintanilla
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By Milton Quintanilla, Crosswalk.com
Christian hip-hop artist Derek Minor recently responded to concerns raised by Christian artist Forrest Frank after an AI-generated artist, named Solomon Ray, topped the Christian album chart on iTunes.
Addressing the matter on social media, Minor pushed back on Frank’s recent post, telling followers that AI-produced content does not have the Holy Spirit, Church Leaders reported.
“Here’s the problem with that perspective,” said Minor, noting, “There’s a lot of Christian songs that people love today that had people that weren’t Christians write the songs, that helped with the songs.”
He added that some non-believers “played guitar on the songs, or bass or drums” also contributed to making Christian songs.
“What if an atheist made that splice loop that you took and put drums on and and, you know, made your Christian song to?” Minor asked.
“What if the person that’s using the AI is a Christian?” the rapper continued. “They love God, and they just use the tools to their advantage? Maybe they’re not a talented artist, maybe they’re not a talented writer, but they have taste, and they wanted to worship and they used AI to do it?”
Despite his take, Minor clarified his response in the comments of his post.
“Here’s what I’m NOT saying,” he said, before adding:
“I’m NOT saying Support AI built off the backs of artists without their consent
I'm NOT saying that I want to hear your AI slop song with no artist value.
I’m NOT saying that just because people with low character have made some Christian hits that character doesn’t matter. I’m just pointing out the OBVIOUS.
I’m not saying I dislike Forrest Frank 🚫💨”
Last week, Frank expressed concern after AI artist Solomon Ray topped the Christian music chart.
“I think it’s important that we just pause a little bit and kind of ask the question of like, is this something that we want?” Frank told his followers on Instagram. “At minimum, AI does not have the Holy Spirit inside of it. So I think that’s really weird to be opening up your spirit to something that has no Spirit.”
“I already don’t listen to secular music, and I’m sure not gonna be listening to AI Christian music,” he contended.
In addition to Frank, several other Christian artists expressed concern over AI-generated Christian music.
“It’s difficult to envision a future where we look back and think creating AI was a net positive for our world,” Christian artist Phil Wickham commented on Frank’s post. “At most it should be a tool for humans, not a replacement for them.”
Meanwhile, Christian singer and former American Idol contestant Colton Dixon expressed mixed feelings about the issue.
“Can it be a tool to speed up a rather long, tedious process – yes. But can it also be used [as] a crutch instead of finding inspiration and direction from [the] Holy Spirit – also yes. Regardless – I’m believing God will be magnified,” Dixon wrote.
Christopher “Topher” Townsend, the real person behind Solomon Ray, defended his creation as an extension of his creativity, according to Complex.
“It’s really more of a preference,” Townsend told followers on Instagram regarding early criticism. He added that listeners can’t always judge whether a piece of music's emotional impact is “authentic or fake/fraudulent.”
“Who am I to say what God will or won’t use to get the message His people need to them?” he asked.
According to Billboard, Ray currently holds the No. 1 and 5 spots on the Gospel Digital Song Sales chart with the singles, "Find Your Rest" and "Goodbye Temptation," respectively.
Related Article
Forrest Frank Sounds Alarm on AI Christian Music as AI-Made Album Tops iTunes
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Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
