- Soulja Boy partnered with Bland AI to create a call-in voice clone that talks to fans in real time
- The AI version of the rapper holds natural conversations that blend nostalgia with cutting-edge tech
- The project highlights how quickly voice cloning is moving into mainstream entertainment
As a rapper, Soulja Boy has often boasted about being first to things like using an iPhone. Now, he’s unveiled a phone number that connects callers to an AI-generated version of himself built in partnership with Bland AI. The system greets callers in a near-perfect recreation of his voice and jumps into conversation with the same upbeat confidence of his performances, bragging about being the first rapper to “automate his voice with AI.”
I was the first rapper to automate his voice with AI. Give me a call pic.twitter.com/JS1RP5yoKoFebruary 18, 2026
It’s a fitting gimmick for the artist who embedded a real phone number into his song, “Kiss Me Thru The Phone.”
Bland AI gives the stunt real technical weight. The startup specializes in generating realistic conversational phone agents for businesses, and now Soulja Boy can be one of those voices automating customer service and scheduling.
I called the number myself and heard the unmistakable cadence of Soulja Boy sounding energized and ready to talk about businesses using his voice. I was able to convince the AI to also talk about his thoughts on the tech, which, unsurprisingly, were enthusiastic. He went into a bit about innovation and creativity with AI, but continually looped back to the business options. Still, the overall feel was impressive.
AI celebrity endorsement
fun fact: Soulja doesn’t know how to drive stick pic.twitter.com/jCi6DueGwPFebruary 18, 2026
Musicians and actors are making AI versions of their voices more and more available. Some are working with companies like ElevenLabs, others, like Matthew McConaughey, are trying to get ahead by trademarking their own voices and catchphrases. Soulja Boy’s project invites direct interaction, but it’s broadly the same idea.
For Bland AI, the experiment is also a branding moment. The company markets its tech as a way to replace clunky call centers with fluid AI conversations. By working with a celebrity rather than a corporate client, Bland AI spotlights the entertainment value of its toolset. Fans who try the number are not thinking about enterprise automation, but about how surreal it is to chat with an AI rapper.
This shift could change expectations about celebrity accessibility. Historically, fan interaction has lived on social platforms where comments and replies blur parasocial boundaries. An AI hotline extends that boundary even further. It lets fans hear a familiar voice, talk for as long as they want, and leave the conversation believing they have experienced a slice of the artist they admire.
Whether Soulja Boy is just the first of many celebrity voices you hear when you call a business for customer service is hard to gauge, but it certainly captures the moment. And Soulja Boy may make AI his next major collaborator, judging from a video of him freestyling with an AI voice.
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ESchwartzwrites@gmail.com (Eric Hal Schwartz)
