AI Country Hit ‘Walk My Walk’ Built on Blanco Brown’s Sound Sparks Questions of Attribution, Ethics

December 1, 2025

An AI-generated country song called "Walk My Walk," credited to a fictional white avatar named Breaking Rust, reached number one on Billboard's country digital song sales chart while using the vocal style and musical approach of Grammy-nominated Black country artist Blanco Brown without his knowledge or consent. Brown only discovered the song when friends contacted him about it, and found that his former collaborator Abraham Abushmais appeared connected to the AI music generator used to create it. The incident highlights how AI technology is disrupting the music industry by allowing anyone to create songs modeled on real artists' styles without permission or compensation.

Who is affected

Blanco Brown (Grammy-nominated Black country artist whose vocal style was used without permission)
Breaking Rust (fictional AI-generated white avatar credited as the artist)
Aubierre Rivaldo Taylor (listed as creator/songwriter/producer of the AI track)
Abraham Abushmais (Brown's former collaborator connected to the AI music generator)
Musicians and music creators broadly (facing unauthorized AI use of their styles)
Major record labels (Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group)
AI music platforms (Suno and Udio)
Country music industry and Nashville establishment
Music audiences and consumers

What action is being taken

Brown has recorded his own cover version of "Walk My Walk" (released last week)
Brown is releasing a reworked derivative of the track with new lyrics and arrangement on Monday
Major record labels are suing Suno and Udio for training AI models on copyrighted recordings without permission
Universal Music Group has settled its copyright lawsuit with Udio and signed a licensing agreement
Warner Music Group has partnered with Suno in a licensing deal to develop AI music that compensates and protects artists
Brown's management is using his experience to challenge the industry and lawmakers about AI music rights

Why it matters

This case represents a critical moment in the music industry where AI technology has moved from experimental to commercially disruptive, demonstrating that anyone can now create chart-topping songs by mimicking real artists without their knowledge, permission, or compensation. The situation exposes a legal and ethical void where artists exist in "strange purgatory" with no accountability mechanisms or guardrails protecting their creative identities and styles. Beyond copyright issues, the incident highlights racial inequality in country music, as a Black artist's vocal style achieved number-one success only when paired with a white AI avatar, reflecting a historical pattern of Black musical innovation being reattributed to white performers. The case forces urgent questions about ownership, compensation, and the value assigned to human creativity versus AI-generated content in an industry where technology is outpacing the legal rights of the creators it imitates.

What's next

Brown is releasing a reworked version of the track with new lyrics and arrangement on Monday
Brown's management plans to use his experience to push industry and lawmakers to establish frameworks around AI music rights and ownership
Ongoing negotiations between record labels and AI platforms regarding licensing agreements

Read full article from source: The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint