Why Black Americans Hate That AI Quavo, Takeoff Trend

Over the last few days, you’ve more than likely seen the popular online AI trend where people put their favorite celebs over the Migos rappers’ COLORSxStudio performance of “Hotel Lobby” from 2022. What you probably aren’t aware of is just how many reasons folks are side-eyeing the trend, from AI’s environmental toll to the use of Takeoff’s likeness after his death—and more. But don’t worry, we’ll break it down for you.

While it’s not unusual for folks to hop on yet another internet trend, what makes this one especially egregious for some people is that the trend utilizes AI, which by extension requires a whole lot of resources to make those seemingly simple videos happen—specifically water and electricity. Data centers need water to help cool the equipment powering AI systems and immense electrical power to compute and process requests from major systems like ChatGPT at an optimal rate.

However, according to a study by the Houston Advanced Research Center, they found that data centers just in Texas used 49 billion gallons of water in 2025, with the overall number expected to increase to 399 billion gallons by 2030. They also project that by 2030, data centers may consume as much as 12 percent of all U.S. electricity and could be largely responsible for quintupling the annual growth in electricity demand.

Related: How Meta’s Secret $50 Billion AI Center Could Have a Devastating Toll on the Black South

What all those numbers mean in a nutshell is that for every little AI creation that pops up online, it comes with a real-world environmental cost. And for some people, using all of those resources just to put another celebrity’s face over an old Migos video feels like a pretty questionable use of them. And that’s exactly why some folks are speaking out, like one user on X/Twitter who mentioned: “The Takeoff and Quavo AI trend is not funny; just wasting resources.”

But that’s only one part of the problem. There’s also the fact that Takeoff, whose face and body are featured in the original video(on the left-hand side), is no longer here. The rapper was killed in November 2022, months after he and Quavo filmed the COLORS performance. So watching people essentially use his likeness and body as a canvas for an artificially intelligent-generated celebrity swap has left some folks feeling more than a little uncomfortable. Takeoff isn’t here to participate in the joke, and last time we checked, his family hasn’t spoken out to approve or disapprove of the use of his voice and likeness in this way.

While it might look like a harmless internet joke for some folks, for others, it can feel as if we’re turning the late artist’s likeness into another insignificant and fleeting trend that will probably be forgotten in a few days. Considering how little time has passed since his death, it’s understandable why some people aren’t exactly laughing along. (And we’re not even going to get into the off-putting nature of the video made with Nolan Wells and his mom. It’s truly sad.)

Actor and TikTok user Jay Jurden explained it succinctly, saying in a video in part: “You’re committing digital necromancy [defined as communication with the dead, by Britannica]. It’s disgusting. You are digitally desecrating a Black man’s corpse. You are a grave robber. And for what? Likes on Threads?”

And while we’re on the topic, we’d be remiss not to mention the fact that some pastors and faith leaders have also gotten in on the trend, which opens up an entirely different conversation about what exactly we’re doing online in the name of a viral moment. Let’s be real, in this day and age where preachers are telling folks to “close the doors,” getting criticized for perceived lavish spending, and more—seeing them participate in this feels a little contrary to the values they’re supposed to be living out (does that Bible verse of being “in the world, but not of the world” come to mind for anyone else, or is it just us?).

Of course, being a person of faith doesn’t mean you have to log off the internet and that you can’t have fun, but it does raise the question of whether every viral trend needs clergy involvement. If the goal is to stand out, be “salt and light,” and lead people toward something bigger than themselves, then hopping on every internet trend for a few likes and laughs can understandably leave some folks scratching their heads.

At the end of the day, not every viral trend needs to be participated in. But when a trend involves wasting valuable resources, repurposing the likeness of someone who is no longer here, and blurring the lines between faith and internet clout, it’s fair to ask whether the joke is actually worth it.