When it’s time for Apple Music’s version of Spotify Wrapped to release, I fully expect Flyana Boss to make it on my top listens. Since Bobbi Tyler and Folayan Kunerede first ran across my TikTok feed, I’ve had several of their songs on repeat. After blowing up, the women racked up brand deals (that they’re swimmin’ in) and earned a spot as one of the opening acts for Janelle Monáe‘s The Age of Pleasure Tour—an artist with a seven-year streak on my top played. However, I was very disappointed to see the hip-hop duo’s latest music video for their viral hit “You Wish.”
Before getting into the the bad, I want to stress that overall this was a fun and creative music video. Directed by Brad Wong, the pair are often playfully dancing (or eating noodles) in surreal, colorful spaces or a giant sound stage. At one point they address the “industry plants” allegations through a cheeky jab. My favorite moments are the recurring shots of them in crocheted orange balaclavas that make them look like a cat and dog. Also, there are the moments where Flyana Boss dons silver outfits that are very Afro-futuristic dipped in 90s RnB.
What loses me was the decision to use AI-generated images and animation throughout. There’s a woman hinted at being the Music Industry™ and later giant kaiju-like creatures hover over a city. The imagery begins 25 seconds into the very short song and appears a bunch during the otherwise exciting music video.
Artificially induced spoilage
While disappointing, this didn’t feel completely out of the blue. When their hero Missy Elliot shared a TikTok co-signing their work, her video featured a mish-mash of AI-generated junk. Flyana Boss later released a Powerpuff Girls-inspired remix of “You Wish” with Missy and Kaliii. If Missy is carelessly doing this to play with the technology for a not-so-considerate nod why can’t they? A nod that if you take a moment to examine beyond marveling at the feat, you can see the way it gives Missy younger, more Eurocentric (and East Asian) features. This is a staple of the AI-generated medium.
Part of Tyler and Kunerede’s charm is their scrappy, DIY aesthetic. While Atlantic Records signed Flyana Boss in 2021, everything’s been at a very small scale. Working with the indie videography studio helped them go viral. Even as signed artists, their origin story, age, and unique style are markers of an uphill battle—yet they’re killin’ it anyway. Like their TikToks and visualizers, this video is cute as hell and could’ve done without unethical shortcuts. Especially with all the money that was in this. Doordash was everywhere and heavily featured in a way where the i9 contractor broke the 4th wall. Nothing stopped their team from hiring an animator or filling those spaces with something else.
Despite my staunch objection to a cancerous form of image making, I’m entirely not opposed to the idea that there might be a way of ethically engaging with AI-generated content. We’d just have to start from scratch on the image collection side, disincentivize monetization, and have enforceable, legal protections. (Feel free to laugh here.) However, even with projects that put some thought into it, there’s massive shortfalls.
What remains is the bigotry-fed, decontextualized blob resembling human creativity. Something that companies (including major record labels) are itching to monetize rather than support artists.
(feature image: Flyana Boss / Atlantic Records)
