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Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) faced criticism after posting an AI-generated video of herself performing Kendrick Lamar’s 'Not Like Us' to promote early voting in her gubernatorial campaign.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), a candidate for Tennessee governor, posted an AI-generated video on X featuring herself performing Kendrick Lamar’s song "Not Like Us." The clip, which mimicked Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX halftime show, was intended to promote the start of early voting but drew widespread mockery and criticism from political opponents and social media users.
The video depicted Blackburn singing and dancing to the 2024 diss track aimed at rapper Drake. She was flanked by Tennessee Republicans Rep. Tim Burchett, Sen. Bill Hagerty, state Sen. Brent Taylor, and Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs. In the AI-generated footage, Jacobs appeared in his WWE persona, Kane. Blackburn captioned the post, "Tomorrow. Ready to roll," referring to the beginning of early voting.
The use of the song and visual style drew attention because Lamar’s Super Bowl performance had previously faced criticism from some right-wing commentators. Mediaite noted that the video was a "play on Lamar’s own performance," which had "ironically earned backlash from many MAGA influencers and right-wing pundits."
The post quickly attracted negative reactions on X. Users described the content as "AI slop" and "painfully cringe." One user wrote, "You found a way to make artificial intelligence look stupid." Another commented, "What in the absolute f–king AI slop is this?"
Jerri Green, Blackburn’s Democratic opponent in the gubernatorial race, responded to the video on X. "When I say please stop using AI to support our campaign, this is what I mean," Green wrote. Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger also criticized the post, stating, "Boomer thinks AI makes her look cool."
Critics also pointed to Blackburn’s past opposition to hip-hop culture. In a 2007 congressional hearing, Blackburn asked rapper Master P, "How and when did society fail you that you would choose to write such filth?" This history was cited by commentators as contrasting with her current use of a hip-hop track for campaign promotion.
Blackburn has been a sponsor of the NO FAKES Act, legislation aimed at protecting individuals from unauthorized AI replicas of their voices and likenesses. In June, her office announced that the bipartisan bill advanced out of the Senate Judiciary Committee. "AI should empower innovation, not give scammers and online predators a free pass to exploit someone’s voice and visual likeness without permission," Blackburn said in a statement regarding the bill.
According to RealClearPolitics, Blackburn holds a strong advantage over Green in polls for the Tennessee governor’s race. Billboard reported that it reached out to Kendrick Lamar’s representatives for comment but had not received a response at the time of publication.
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This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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