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U.K.-based Angolan-Portuguese rapper IAMDDB has accused the Israeli government of using her likeness without permission in an AI-generated music video shared through its official social media accounts, saying she had no involvement in the video's creation or message.
The Manchester-based musician spoke out Tuesday after a video featuring a computer-generated performer closely resembling her appeared on Israeli government accounts. The clip, which has since been deleted, showed the performer rapping in a crowded nightclub.
Responding to the original post on X, IAMDDB directly challenged the unauthorized use of her appearance.
"Hiya yeah so - why did you steal my identity for something I 100% did not consent to?" she wrote.
In a statement shared on Instagram, IAMDDB emphasized that she had never given permission for her image or likeness to appear in the video.
"I want to make it absolutely clear that I did not authorise, approve, participate in, or consent to my image or likeness being used in this video. I have no involvement in its creation or its message," she said.
The rapper also explained that her music and artistic work had always centered on love, freedom, humanity and connection. She added that she opposed genocide, the killing of innocent people and the suffering of women, children and families.
"My heart is with every innocent person experiencing loss, displacement and violence, especially the Palestinian people who have endured unimaginable suffering," she stated.
The video, posted on Israel's official social media accounts last week, featured a rap titled "Jews from Judea (We DID)" alongside the caption: "'GO BACK WHERE YOU CAME FROM!' We did."
According to the Manchester Evening News, New York-based broadcaster and activist Rafael Shimunov was among the first to draw attention to the resemblance between IAMDDB and the AI-generated performer.
Shimunov shared a still image from the video alongside an original photograph of the rapper, pointing out similarities between the two.
He subsequently criticized the video's use of a character resembling an Angolan-Portuguese British musician to portray an Israeli performer in content addressing Jewish historical origins and indigeneity, a term referring to a people's ancestral connection to a particular territory.
The video has since been taken down from the Israeli government's social media accounts.
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