Viral AI knockoff song outranks Tyler, the Creator’s actual album

Tyler, the Creator’s surprise album “Don’t Tap The Glass” has been overshadowed by a viral AI-generated knockoff song of the same name that flooded the internet before the official release. The fake track, featuring repetitive lyrics over generic dance-pop beats, has dominated search results and social media platforms, demonstrating how AI-generated content can hijack legitimate artists’ marketing campaigns and cultural moments.

What happened: An AI-generated song titled “Don’t Tap The Glass” went viral on July 20, one day before Tyler, the Creator’s actual album release.

• The fake track features the phrase “don’t tap the glass” repeated over swelling chords in a 2010s dance-pop style that’s completely unlike Tyler’s experimental sound.
• TikTok influencers first noticed the song’s uncanny pop vibe, leading to ironic clips that turned the AI knockoff into an unintentional comedy sensation.
• The real album, which doesn’t contain any song actually titled “Don’t Tap The Glass,” received favorable reviews from critics like Anthony Fantano and Pitchfork’s Stephen Kearse.

The search domination: The AI version has captured top positions across major platforms, burying the legitimate album.

• A reupload by “Niche Micro Celebrity Records” holds the #2 spot for albums under “Don’t Tap The Glass” on Spotify.
• The fake song grabs top Google results when searching for the album title.
• On TikTok, the top 10 search results for “Don’t Tap The Glass” are dominated by the AI version, drowning out verified accounts posting about the real album.

What people are saying: Social media users acknowledge the AI track’s surprising staying power over the legitimate release.

• “Don’t Tap The Glass fake AI leak is gonna go down in history I think,” posted comic artist Teo Suzuki in a viral tweet that garnered over 2.5 million impressions.
• “Heard that more than the actual album lol,” replied one user.
• Another asked: “like why is that sh** still playing in my head when i can’t remember single song from the actual album??”

Why this matters: The incident highlights how AI-generated content can compete with and potentially undermine legitimate artistic releases, even for chart-topping artists. While Know Your Meme, a website that tracks internet phenomena, notes this is an ironic, grassroots effort to keep the fake song trending, it represents a stark example of how AI-generated content can hijack cultural moments and artist publicity campaigns in the streaming era.