NYDailyNews.com

Who's that, Mary J.? 'Ja' 'Oui' 'Si'

by Unknown 07.16.06

Coming soon to a cell phone or iPod near you: hip-hop stars like Mary J. Blige or T.I. rapping in flawless German, French, Japanese or Spanish.
A new speech-conversion system can produce their voices in any language spoken in the lucrative markets where their music - as well as the clothing, ring tones and other lifestyle extensions of their brands - is sold.

The system, called Voxonic, can replicate a specific voice in any desired language and is already used in film dubbing and corporate communications.

But a chance encounter between the middle-aged software exec who developed Voxonic and a hip-hop entrepreneur has prompted them to shift their focus to the more glittery and profitable world of music.

"We think we're on the edge of something big," said Uptown Records founder Andre Harrell, who is credited with discovering Blige and recently partnered with Voxonic.