At the heart of an industrial revolution is an innovation that changes everything. Building AI Boston sees artificial intelligence as a renaissance. From the heart of innovation and the mecca of tech learning, we bring you AI for real people. A conversation for everyone. Melonius Hatcher, aka King Melonius, is a modern renaissance man whose work at the intersection of comedy, technology and cultural storytelling has positioned him as one of the most exciting creators of our time, recognized by Time's top 100 most influential people in AI. Melonius has become a trailblazer. He blends humor with cutting-edge technology to redefine what it means to entertain, inspire and innovate. Hatcher's rise to prominence began with his viral hit, BBL Drizzy, a hilarious AI-generated song that captivated millions and showcased his unique ability to merge pop culture with groundbreaking AI tools. His critically acclaimed comedy album, Unserious, produced by Grammy Award winner, Omos Keith, solidified his reputation as a masterful creator who confused sharp wit with soulful melodies to push the boundaries of what comedy and music can achieve together. And today, we're breaking it all down with the King himself. Welcome to Bave. Hey, it's a pleasure to be here and thank you for interviewing me. This is amazing. I'm so excited. Chris is excited. I hear some streets. I hear some street sounds. I got two New Yorkers in the house. Yeah, yeah, New York, New York. I hear it and Chris is feeling nostalgic. I can see it, Chris. I am. Hey, I, you go by the King. Like, what do you, what do people call you? You know, it's interesting. Like, sometimes when I travel, yeah, people, like when I was in India, everybody was addressing me as King. I was like, oh, you can call me Spelonius or Will. Also, Avocado Poppy. Avocado Poppy. That's been a nickname for a little while now. Got me Avocado Smoothies. I used to make Avocado Smoothies on Instagram a lot. Then kind of just put Avocado Poppy in my bio and it just kind of stood. Amazing. Well, I like the King because when I was a little girl, this is totally going to date me now. Okay, but when I was a little girl and my Nana Adele came in with the newspaper said the King is dead and I'm seven, right? But I'm like, why is she crying? I didn't even know we had a King, you know, like, and I think you should be the King because now kids will grow up knowing that. And that's you ride that wave as long as you want to, man. I love it. But I want to break it down. Like, what were you like as a kid? Were you into technology, sci-fi, and why did you end up in comedy? Yeah, very much into cartoons. That was probably my biggest thing. It's just like, I love just sitting in front of the TV and watching cartoons. You know, I had video games on like Nintendo, Sega, all the rest of them. But yeah, cartoons and comic books were like my main loves as a child. I used to draw a lot. Ninja Turtles was like my favorite thing to draw. I would just always draw Ninja Turtles. And yeah, I mean, my first comic book when I was like eight years old, like I just grabbed a bunch of pages and just started drawing a comic book. It was about Batman. Funny enough. Chris was just talking about that. And yeah, yeah, it was just, I just had a love for cartoons and I guess storytelling that time. Okay, so now we know how old you are because I grew up on Atari and Bugs Bunny and I, Ninja Turtles was my brother's era. But Chris, I know you, I know you got something to say about that. Well, I mean, he and I could literally spend the next three hours talking about comics and things like that. But I know that's not what we're here for. No. So what I wanted to ask you about was, so I've just recently discovered you. I mean, I'm a little bit behind the curve, but you're on Time Magazine's top 100 AI influencers. Yeah. What does that feel like for somebody that makes songs that like, which I'm going to just say my favorite, we can't talk about it on the air, but DEI Richard. Amazing. Amazing. Like you're making these songs and people are like sampling them. They're like blowing up viral. Like what's that feel like? You know, it's really amazing. And it's just kind of, you know, initially when, especially when BBL Drizzy happened, I was in LA and it was just, it was so surreal, you know, that you're just like, what's, what's happening in life? You know, and I remember just, I was at the comedy club and I'm just like, what's I'm looking at my phone, just seeing all the reactions and it just like what's what's happening. It's hard to, you know, just kind of put it into words and just like, you know, being that that headspace, but very grateful though, you know, I'm extremely grateful because, you know, I've been in comedy for a really long time and, you know, as a standup comedian, you just want to get you know, you sometimes that light at the end of the tunnel, it just seems so far away. So you just figure out like, how do I actually break through? Like, am I will I ever break through that I was my life pursuing this career? So to, to, you know, kind of get some recognition and and then to just be able to have like a global impact, or something that you created, like to go from idea to, you know, manifestation is like really cool. And yeah, so I'm just extremely grateful that people like the songs and I'm able to make people laugh. I mean, it's amazing. I found at least a dozen remixes just in the short time that I look. I mean, somebody use AI to have Michael Jackson singing BBL Drizzy. Yeah, like that must be when you watch that just much step back and it must just feel surreal. Yeah, yeah, I've seen people get married to it. I've saw it. No, I'm serious. Yeah, there was a whole couple they got married and they played BBL Drizzy while they were like walking out. Wow. There's a nun dancing to it, Duolingo. Obviously, I did, you know, I did Drake jumped on the remix of it, which is, you know, unheard of for rapper to jump on a diss track. Sure. You know, so not to say that BBL Drizzy really technically wasn't a diss track to Drake. It was more a celebration of the BBL. But it's like, it's like great Poupon. It's like, it's, you know, how great Poupon is now. Everybody talks about that. But you're like, you are like the sidewalk under people's feet. That's how prominent it is. Yeah. And yet, and yet as a comedian, it must be so fun that it links back to you, but you can sort of play it with it your own way. You can walk on to like human X here in Las Vegas and people like, Oh, I think I've heard of that. But and I think, I think as comic book heroes go, I think that's a very Batman move because you're Bruce Wayne, but you can be whatever you want to be in. Right. You know, it's very interesting because like the way everything played out with BBL Drizzy, Metro woman really blew it up. So a lot of some people, a lot of people don't know that I actually made it. So for me, like when it happened during an LA, I was a Netflix is a joke when everything happened. So I'm like, they're playing it at Netflix is a joke. Like one of the singers, say, go he during his performance, he did like a saxophone rendition of it. And I'm just in the crowd and like nobody knows that I made it. And this is kind of cool. Like, you know, the kind of because otherwise I felt like people be all of my I literally had that during Super Bowl weekend. One of my friends told some girls that I was like, I may be BBL Drizzy and they were like, like, maybe college age or whatever. And they like, they got in my face with their cell phones like, I'm with the BBL Drizzy guy. And I'm like, OK, I'm just I'm just chilling. You know, so so I guess for my just like my way I kind of just live my life. I like to just I like to be on stage and do my thing. But other than that, I just like to relax and kind of, you know, not be too noticeable. Just slip into your alter ego. Yeah. Yeah. They're much like a Batman, you know, Bruce Wayne or, you know, Clark Kent Superman. Sure, sure. Well, I think what's really cool and this is building a Boston, but I think it's cool that you actually have some street sounds going on. I think it's really cool that you have an MIT story from when the first time you went to a hackathon and and we talked about that offline. Can you go back and talk a little bit about that experience of being at MIT as a coder? Yeah. Yeah. You know, the first year I went was 2023. I was the MIT reality hackathon. And at the time I had just learned Unreal Engine. And I just I don't know how I found the website. I came across it and I was like, I want to do this because it's like it was at MIT, you know, Media Lab. I knew that it was going to be so many, you know, cool, interesting things happening there. And when I got there, I was I was a little intimidated because I was like, you know, you're just surrounded around so many brilliant people. A lot of them were coding in unity. I didn't know unity at the time. So, you know, you just kind of have like imposter syndrome. But what I found, especially with the MIT reality hackathon, like it's such an inclusive environment. So, you know, you whatever skills that you bring to the table, you know, you're able to contribute to a team. So some people really get a story telling some people are. Really good, you know, product managers, you know, some people really get a pitching. So it's just like, and then you have obviously people that are really great at coding. And then you come together as a team and then you build something in a couple of days and and then you and then you pitch it. And actually, so my first year we won we won $500 for a reality hack. Oh, God, I forget the name of the it was like a sharp tank reality reality tank is what they called it. So we did a pitch more $500 for our program. We created an AR fitness app. And then the second year I decided to do the non competitive track, which is like we did the we hacked the hackathon. So we did the community track and we hacked the party. I did like a touches on her experience and that was like super dope. And last year we created a VR battle rap app where you rap to the AI in in the Oculus and it battle wraps you. So you go back and forth and I made a video using AI. So it's just it's just it's one of my favorite experiences. I got to it was like burning man and MIT reality hackathon. They're like one a one B and yeah, I won't miss those two events. Okay, so Boston loves you right now. That's a great shout out. We've done what we came here to do. So just know that I agree with you. I've been to MIT and I'm and I say all the time about imposter syndrome. I'm a woman that started an AI show because I didn't want to get left behind. I did an all seriousness. You know, my kid is my IT person and I felt like if I don't know what's going on with Chris's laughing, he knows. It's true. I know she's very smart. But anyway, I just don't want to get left behind and I think you're really I think you're promoting the vibe that Boston is a state of mind. It's very inclusive. It's really you can go to a coding event or hackathon event and just be you and be authentic, which is sort of the beauty of AI. Right. I love Boston like I you know last time I was at MIT, I was like, I need to start coming here like once a month, you know, now I'm, you know, from South Florida, I moved to New York in September. But the community in Boston is just so dope. And, you know, just the innovative events that are happening with like AI music and, you know, it seems like there's literally like one of my friends Chris, he's up there and he has meetups all the time. He works with James Davis. MIT professor and yeah, it's just it's just a great environment. Like I just everybody I meet up there is like super dope. And like again, like the events that that take place, like pretty much weekly are just so innovative. So, you know, it's one of the best communities I've been a part of. Like I got going to LA LA has a lot of film stuff, but I feel like a lot of really innovative out the box things are happening in Boston, at least in my perspective and people just phenomenal. So, Well, that's good to hear that between you and me maybe we could bring a little burning man there but I'm not going to say anyone. I love that. I love that as well. Okay. Well, onus you and you mentioned before when you're talking about MIT when you went there that you had been using Unreal Engine. What are some of the other tools that you've used to create these the AI tools that you've used to create these songs these little mini movies that you make. Right. So my favorite tool for music is UDO. That's what I made BB at Drizzy with. Yeah, that's that's that's my baby coming that's yeah. It made the biggest AI song of all time you know so that's for music generation UDO for image generations mid journey is still the goat. And then for video you know I I kind of waiver because they it seems like every week a new video model is coming out so you know runway VO2 was amazing by Google. Ray 2 by Luma Labs is phenomenal. Kling. I started out with Pika Labs Pika Labs actually really dope now too but I don't use it as much. Sora Sora is still really good. I'm part of their their Alpha group. 11 labs for voices. Yeah. Which is really good. That whole process took about 30 minutes to make the song which you know for 30 minutes and to change your life in 30 minutes is you know who would have predicted that but you know it was a combination of just years of you know I've 10,000 I put definitely put 10,000 hours of writing songs you know over the years writing comedy songs and then you know mid journey I've generated well over well over 50,000 images you know so and then just making using the AI music tools actually like prompt and and make songs so you know I guess all these skills that I you know not really knowing just wanted to keep right you're just doing it for fun you didn't realize yeah and I was able to pray something so. You know thank you for that overview I feel like we just got the Q lab you know Batman to use the Batman analogy thank you for showing us behind the curtain. And that's very generous of you what I find so interesting about you is that you are, you know, you're just generous with being open I think that's the spirit of open AI. And I think you and I chatted about this to like well when everybody catches up with these tools I might not be doing I might not be as cool but I think I think something else I know about you is what they announced at human X is that you don't. You kind of have this word that you throw around blurred and Chris knows what that is but I think you are a role model so can you tell us why blurred as part of your brand and what it is. So blurred is a black nerd. And you know, it was interesting because like growing up. You kind of got tease for this reading comics and you know just kind of nerd culture, and it was just something that. As I got older I just embraced and then you find community and other people that like the same thing like it's interesting act is like now, kind of a culture is so cool like everybody wants to they know about you know they read comic books and they care about the the Avengers and X man but you know back in the day it wasn't as cool as it is now you know so. I think it up but definitely just got picked on because it was just like you know cousins and whatnot it was like oh man you're nerdy doing all this and that he's playing sports and I mean I was I was still pretty athletic but you know with a lot of these stories and you just get lost in those worlds and it just they're just fun characters to to dive in and learn more about so yeah you know they they the they had a big impact on me and actually like to my daughters like their the middle names are named after us convocators so yeah well Chris is like please share but you don't have to I don't you need me I don't know Mikey it on this show is okay. Yeah storm stormy Phoenix yeah okay yeah yeah so not just storm it's actually just storm oh just storm yeah yeah like name storm and then the other one that we say middle names though so yeah understood understood yeah one of the name storm the other name is Phoenix amazing amazing Chris is just a straight up nerd I think I lean more geek than nerd Anna but yes I am absolutely I can't differentiate I have nothing to say I'm not going to embarrass myself this go around but game recognizes game that's all right but that's a role model I just want to point out that one of the things I like about you is I do think you're a role model and I think that's something that you accept and probably want to play with in the future yeah. Right yeah absolutely I mean I you know one thing I do try to think about and be mindful of it just you know wanting to have integrity around your art and then just I think that you do have a responsibility if you are creating things or you are completely influential to you know do the right thing and try to leave people in the right direction you know I'm saying so I try to be mindful as far as I even with the content like not to be too. Explicit because like you know I just found out that my my niece like what is like all my stuff and I'm like. You know when I was younger in my twenties I was like I don't care I'm just you know going out like I like to one just like have a message behind what I'm doing so but then you know not not go too crazy just because you know if it's just my name on it if it's about doing an alter ego or care or whatever then and that's one thing but you know I think integrity is like. Really big and yeah and you get chosen you know if you're a role model role model you know so there there is you know sense of responsibility as a spider-man would say. We're just going to go there all day. It's all great. Great responsibility so you know you have to you have to be mindful of that you know and you know try to try to be a really good human I've been really on that tip for a long time it's like you know this big human to yourself and to other people and I think if you do that and everybody kind of takes that stance and the world in essence can be a much better place so. Absolutely. Speaking of the world being a better place is that you seem really optimistic. As far as AI goes are there things that give you hope and things that give you pause. About its development. Yeah. I was sorry let's start the whole part I think it in the short term I think it really just empowers a lot of creators. From the creative side like you know you've seen what has done for my life and just you know if you don't have necessarily the means or the resources or maybe the money like you can use these tools to to story tell to create music I mean there's there's so many people that that journal or just write poems that now can. Create songs based off of these poems that run and it's not to have a billboard hit it's just like I just want to play music while I clean the house you know or I want to entertain guests and I want to create this really great jazz playlists when my guests come over or you know I really love art so I'm going to create a bunch of art images and I'm a I'm a decorate my own house with art that I made you know so I think that's that's really cool and exciting and then just like. I think it's from the you know the medical standpoint like you know I'm sure that we'll probably be able to start detecting you know illnesses or maybe curing certain illnesses you know in the very near future so I think there's a lot of like real world possibilities that are going to be very helpful I mean my dad works in construction. And I've helped them implement certain things with AI in their business and that's made them more productive more efficient so they're saving time and saving money. The ying to the yang because there's always you know that's what life is. You know obviously the in we're going to see you know some jobs be lost because of AI. The optimists in me though would say that there would be jobs that would be created you know just the same way you know. 10 years ago there probably wasn't such thing as a social media manager 15 years ago wasn't social media manager now you know social media manager can make me. So. But I do you can't help but watch movies like. Westworld and Black Mirror. And just like well these are very real possibilities with AI you know they are regulated in a certain way you know because there are bad actors out there and they'll they'll use AI to you know to scan people essentially you know. You know you're seeing that now where you know you can call somebody's voice off for three seconds make a phone call to the elderly and or not even the elderly just anybody you know yeah. And they think that hey hey mom send me send me a thousand dollars because I need money for you know so. So I think that we'll have to find ways to to get around that just so that people you know aren't losing their livelihoods because of you know bad actors using AI in a negative way so. But you know I'm always I'm a I'm a glass half full type of guy so I try to look towards like the positive sides of life but you know you have to acknowledge that there's the yin and yang you know you can't create a new technology without. The bad side and you know there's also the good side just sometimes we tend to focus on a lot of times tend to focus on the negative. And I think that you nailed it when you said bad actors it's it's a tool so it's going to be how people use it. Absolutely. Oh but I know Chris and I can relate we're both writers you know and entertainers and so it's been I remember when Chris when you and I were working together and I heard well you know chat you can do your job and I was like. You know I got really upset for the record I didn't say that to you know I know you didn't. Because you're in the same boat where you know we we got to look out for that but I think there was a lot of confusion which is why this show exists I just really appreciate you coming in and breaking it down because I think you're right and I love that. I love the analogy bad actors too because there are ethical considerations but people like this like you coming on this show chat about it. I hope that everyone in the audience realizes you know we're kind of raising the bar today with you. I appreciate you being here. And I you know in the last minutes we have together is there anything else you want to you know shout out what are you working on you want to give us any big reveal. Yeah so the big project I'm doing this year is BBO Drizzy the musical. Yeah so. That's happening in December at our Basel so it's a planetarium dome experience. Nice in the narrative so you know I love going to dome experiences and one of the things I've always wanted to do was like I would love to story tell within a planetarium so got the opportunity working with film gate and this my company down in Miami and I'm going to be there. So we're going to bring like trying to do something really groundbreaking because you know you go to a lot of planetarium shows it's a lot of a lot of times a lot of like visuals and like moving images and whatnot so we really want to tell like a full story with actors and and do that so it's a challenge but it's something that it's a challenge I think we can accomplish or want to accomplish so so that's happening in December and then and then just constantly putting out music so I put out music. I'm trying to challenge myself to put out pretty much like an album every couple months so I just work on that and and then yeah and then stand up I got a show coming up. I don't know when this is coming out but one in April as a solo one man show in New York at the pit and then. Yeah great venue. Yeah so I'm doing my one man show there it's called how this BBL changed my life. Or how a BBL changed my life and then and then I'll be touring in the post in the fall. Well if you're going to find your way out Denver way. Give me a shout out Denver. Absolutely I definitely be out there. Come on Chris we're going to get plane tickets. I'm going to be at Art Basel this year so there's a lot of connect up that way. Okay so yeah so welcome back welcome back. I'm sure we have front row seats to the show. That's awesome thank you friend. Thank you so much. Thank you and I love Boston you know I can't say no great things about Boston so. Great. Thank you for having me on here I appreciate it. Yeah thanks so much for coming on. I had a blast talking with you. You lucky people out there in the audience please like and subscribe to be listening up for the future of whatever comes next with Volonius and in our collabs and we really appreciate you man. Again thank you so much for being here. Thank you I appreciate it. Yeah thanks.
