Facebook launched its latest experimental offering, trying its hand at rap with a new short video app called Bars, TechCrunch reported.
Using a format similar to TikTok, Bars allows users to record and post their raps as video clips. Key features include access to rap beats created by professional producers, a rhyming dictionary, vocal effects including AutoTune and a freestyle mode which challenges users to incorporate eight random words into their lyrics.
It is currently only available to iOS users.
The app is the latest from Facebook’s experimental app development unit, known as NPE Team, which was formed in July 2019 to build products offering new user experiences.
It follows the team’s release of music video app Collab in December 2020. Other NPE Team releases included relationship app Tuned in April 2020; live sports app Venue in May 2020; and Forecast, an app for making predictions about a variety of topics, in June 2020.
If unsuccessful, Bars could quickly get the chop: Facebook previously killed another NPE Team offering called Hobbi after it failed to gain enough traction with users a few months after launch.
