These days, if you want your music to get recognized on social media, you have to follow a new formula. As we’ve discussed before, writing a catchy bridge is more important than ever, so musicians will home in on a bridge for a new single, then create video after video after video showcasing that bridge. Eventually, your feed will be inundated with this same bridge, and the same groups playing this bridge, with the hopes of attracting new listeners by proxy.
Of course, some bands do this better than others, and with everyone following this formula more or less, it’s more imperative than ever to get visually creative. In that sense, I can’t think of anyone who’s doing it better than Flyana Boss: a rap duo who are quite literally running the game.
Already, we can see Flyana Boss—made up of best friends Bobbi Lanea and Folayan Kunerede—has a really fun aesthetic and musical style to play off of, which makes them appealing new artists on that basis alone. However, these videos showcasing them running around only heighten this sense of appeal, if only because they’re just really charming and cool. Take a look, we’re only scratching the surface here:
These videos have been taking off all over social media, proving the girls have really managed to tap into the artistic moment. The song is catchy AF, the fits are on point, and they’ve built up an element of anticipation as their fans (and casual onlookers) wonder, Where will they go next?
With millions of views and likes on these videos, it’s clear that Flyana Boss is making waves, and I think it’s well-deserved! Bobbi and Folayan are classically trained musicians who met in school, discovering that their talents and styles meshed incredibly well. Their beats are crisp and pleasing to the ear, and they have a playful lyricism that’s really fun to follow along with. They’re also just charming to watch, both as individuals and as friends:
Of course, some people are quick to be contrarian for all the wrong reasons, so it was inevitable that the two would attract some haters due to their meteoric rise. This commentary video pretty much sums up my thoughts:
It’s hard enough being a woman trying to make it authentically in the current music industry, but it’s infinitely harder for Black women. Other artists can get away with making mediocre content that zeroes in on the current aesthetic, but Black artists and especially Black women are held to higher standards and therefore criticized more ardently. The truth of it, when you strip all of that away, is that Flyana Boss is not only incredibly talented and producing the kind of fun, interesting music we need more of in this current oversaturated weepy moment, but they are also putting in the MOST—more than a lot of other artists I see out there—and deserve all the acclaim they’re getting!
The long-term prospects for viral musicians are always up in the air, but it’s my hope that the women of Flyana Boss stick to their guns and continue to create on their own terms, with their own vision. I hope to see an LP sometime in the future, and we can’t wait to see where they run next!
(featured image: Position Music)
