This week, a country act named Breaking Rust topped an important Billboard chart with a song called “Walk the Walk.”
The rootsy song of empowerment was the No. 1 song on the Country Digital Song Sales chart and that’s notable, maybe even historic. You’ll never meet Breaking Rust, though, and unless the essence of live music shifts dramatically, you’ll never see Breaking Rust live, either.
That’s because Breaking Rust—and his naughty little brother—is the AI-powered creation of a man with such little presence on the internet you have to wonder if even he’s AI, too.
Who Is Breaking Rust?
The first time I asked Google this question, I couldn’t find as much as a social media profile for Breaking Rust, but since Oct. 15 one has existed at @breakinrust on Instagram. (@breakingrust was already taken, by a creator who looks even more suspicious, if you can believe it.)
The page has over 27,000 followers, and posts music clips over videos of a dystopian cowboy navigating a tragic life. It all gives off some serious Stephen King Dark Tower vibes.
On Spotify you’ll find eight moderately popular (by Top 40 country standards) songs by Breaking Rust, all of which are popular among nearly 2 million monthly listeners. “Livin’ on Borrowed Time,” with 3.5 million streams, and “Walk That Walk,” with 2.5 million listens, lead the way.
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In a moment I’ll offer thoughts on the validity of the music as well as what I could find about the person behind the artificial intelligence. Regardless, fan interest is very real.
Here is a screenshot of a Google Trends search I did comparing inquiries for Breaking Rust, Colt Ford and Jake Owen. I chose the later two artists as they both have albums dropping on Nov. 7. It’s worth noting that interest in all three is small compared to someone like, say, Jelly Roll.
Google Trends
Breaking Rust songs are credited to Aubierre Rivaldo Taylor. I’ll save you the search—these two names mostly point back to one another across the scant five pages of Google results.
Repertoire searches at BMI and ASCAP show nothing by that name and nothing registered by Breaking Rust. There are several dozen songs called “Walk That Walk,” which makes sense as the title is hardly unique.
Is Aubierre Rivaldo Taylor Real?
A Facebook search for Taylor only points to articles noting he powers Breaking Rust. Somehow this guy is winning the internet despite having never been on the web previously, it seems. (Yes, I say “this guy” because there is some proof that Taylor is a man.)
A site called Musix Match ties Taylor with another batch of music from creator Defbeatsai, and this is where things get interesting… and dirty.
There is a Defbeatsai YouTube channel and at least one of the songs found there credits Taylor. The avatar is similar to what’s found at the Breaking Rust platforms—kind of western, kind of cartoony, etc.—but the video thumbnails look like real-life humans having a good time. Words like “Grabs,” “Asian” and “Booty” dot the photos—you can kind of see where this is headed.
As far as I can tell, Taylor’s first foray into AI music was X-rated country songs reminiscent of Wheeler Walker Jr. I even tried to tie Taylor and Walker (real name Ben Hoffman) together but found no evidence they’re the same person.
This would be the place to list a few Defbeatsai songs, but they’re not the kind of words we type here at Taste of Country. Let’s just say that “Family Affair” is nowhere near wholesome, and “That Blessed Peach” is not about a Georgia gal.
This all leads to a natural conclusion: Aubierre Rivaldo Taylor is a dude because I believe very few women would hit send on these thirsty song titles. A co-worker heard me say this and asked, “Have you listened to Cardi B? Have you visited Only Fans?”
No to both. I’m willing to be naive here.
Breaking Rust, “Walk My Walk” Review:
A one-word review of Breaking Rust’s “Walk My Walk” would be “generic.” There’s nothing offensive about the song. Vocally speaking, it’s compelling: Country fans will recognize a Stapleton-esque gravel that’s deeper and less dynamic. Still, sparse instrumentation is a signature of every Breaking Rust song, and very little supports the lyrics here.
Repeat listens to this song reveals flaws. It just doesn’t have any kind of meaning. Imagine if someone pulled quotes from every inspirational poster he could find, arranged and adjusted those quotes in a quasi-narrative and filled gaps with colloquialisms. Here’s the first verse:
“Been beat down, but I don’t stay low / Got mud on my jeans, still ready to go / Every scar’s a story that survived / I’ve been through hell, but I’m still alive…”
Later we’re told to “kick rocks” if we don’t like the way he talks. Broken friendships, outlaw defiance and paying of dues are a few more concepts dropped into this country soup. All lack any sort of detail—it’s Songwriting 101 to describe your hell before or after telling the people you’ve been through it.
This music is soulless, and I say this as someone who is more receptive to AI songwriting than most.
Breaking Rust also takes itself way too seriously. The eight songs available all kind of thump along like an elephant, and every one of them works very hard to tell a story any fifth grader could write. On the surface, the idea that an AI-powered, mental crevasse could top a country chart is alarming, but there’s peace in the details.
Apparently to be No. 1 on the Billboard Country Digital Song Sales chart you only need to sell 3,000 copies. Literally, anyone with a small line of credit could accomplish this.
See the Most Played Country Song from the Year You Were Born
Who had the most played country song during the year you were born? This list is a fascinating time capsule of prevalent trends from every decade in American history. Scroll through to find your birth year and then click to listen. Some of these songs have been lost through the years, many of them for good reason!
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
