An AI-generated soul singer operating under the name Solomon Ray has surged to the top of Christian music charts, triggering a growing national argument over authenticity, faith, race, and what qualifies as art in the age of artificial intelligence.
Solomon Ray’s rapid ascent is notable not only because the artist does not physically exist, but because it represents one of the first times an AI-generated Black Christian performer has reached the upper tier of major streaming and sales charts. The project’s creator, a conservative political activist, has only intensified scrutiny surrounding how the artist was built and promoted.
Last month, Solomon Ray reached No. 1 across multiple platforms, including Billboard’s Gospel Digital Song Sales chart and Apple Music’s Christian music rankings. According to the artist’s Instagram account, the project has accumulated more than 7 million streams across platforms, while Solomon Ray’s YouTube channel has generated over one million views.
Behind the AI persona is Christopher “Topher” Townsend, a Mississippi-based rapper, conservative activist, and former Air Force cryptologic analyst.
Townsend, who is Black, launched the Solomon Ray project earlier this year using generative AI tools to construct the singer’s voice, image, lyrics, and overall identity. He has described the public response as overwhelming.
The controversy surrounding the project accelerated after Solomon Ray topped the charts with the EP Faithful Soul, released on Nov. 7. The five-track project climbed to No. 1 on the iTunes Top 100 Christian and Gospel Albums chart within days. Two songs from the release, “Find Your Rest” and “Goodbye Temptation,” now sit at No. 1 and No. 2 on Billboard’s Gospel Digital Song Sales chart.
Solomon Ray’s Spotify profile describes him as a “Mississippi-made soul singer carrying a Southern soul revival into the present,” while AI-generated images portray him wearing a gold cross necklace, a collared white shirt, a suit, and a tan fedora. Promotional copy adds, “With a voice like weathered velvet and a storyteller’s cadence, he sings as if he’s testifying from experience: part Sunday-morning conviction, part Saturday-night grit.”
Despite commercial success, critics argue Ray’s songs lack the creative risk and spiritual depth associated with human gospel performers. That criticism grew louder after Townsend publicly identified himself as “the man behind the machine” in an Instagram video on Nov. 19.
Christian artist Forrest Frank, whose song “Your Way’s Better” previously reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs chart, publicly challenged the legitimacy of AI-generated gospel music.
“At minimum, AI does not have the Holy Spirit inside of it,” Frank said. “So I think that it’s really weird to be opening up your spirit to something that has no spirit.”
Townsend responded in a video of his own, pushing back against the idea that human performance is a prerequisite for art.
“This is an extension of my creativity, so therefore to me it’s art,” he said. “It’s definitely inspired by a Christian. It may not be performed by one, but I don’t know why that really matters in the end.”
Online reaction has been sharply divided. Some listeners celebrated the music itself, while others rejected the project outright once learning it was AI-generated.
“AI… no thanks, there are plenty of real singers I can support,” one commenter wrote.
“Not all y’all in the comments not realizing this is an AI video and an AI voice singing,” another added. “We are doomed.”
“Guys, this is AI! No spirit in it sadly,” wrote a third commenter, while another warned, “This AI is drawing people away from real Christian singers. Don’t be sucked in. Be aware in these last days.”
Townsend has defended the project’s intent, stating: “I’ve received thousands of messages from listeners who feel seen, comforted, and spiritually lifted by his songs. The impact has far exceeded anything I anticipated and the numbers reflect that in earnest. My intention has always been to uplift, not replace; to add to the richness of gospel music, not subtract from its legacy.”
He also emphasized that gospel music belongs to anyone “who reveres it, respects it, and approaches it with sincerity,” and described Solomon Ray as “a musical project, not a political puppet.”
The debate surrounding Solomon Ray arrives alongside similar chart breakthroughs by AI-generated country artists. Breaking Rust recently reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Digital Song Sales chart with “Walk My Walk,” while Cain Walker’s “Don’t Tread On Me” peaked at No. 3.
Legal and cultural experts say the trend raises unsettling questions. Cornell Tech professor James Grimmelmann warned that AI allows creators to build entire performers from scratch.
“You can have complete virtual performers…deepfake videos, AI voices. It’s unsettling because you can construct an entire artist from scratch.” He added: “What once required weeks of production and millions of dollars can now be generated on a laptop, and updated in real time.”
Others argue AI is simply an extension of existing technology in worship music. Rev. Chris Hope, founder of the Boston-based Hope Group, noted that churches have long used electronic instruments.
“It should never substitute for human story or human spirit. I don’t mind AI artists existing, but I mind that we forget the difference.” Hope also pointed to deeper cultural concerns within Black gospel traditions. “If you’ve never been born, how can you be born again? If there’s no authentic witness, then what are you really listening to?”
Mia Moody-Ramirez, a Baylor University journalism professor researching digital blackface, argues AI music risks further commodifying Black identity.
Digital blackface, she explains, occurs when non-Black users exploit Black culture and imagery online, often relying on stereotypes. Without proper oversight or documentation, she warns, large volumes of problematic AI-generated content may vanish before society fully confronts its consequences.