LOS ANGELES — On a recent hot summer day in Hollywood, the duo recording themselves for a TikTok video looked like any other content creator trying to make it big. With a cameraman recording her spirited stunt, as well as a small entourage, it looked like a typical Los Angeles influence session.
But Folayan Kunerede and Bobbi Tyler, known as Flyana Boss online, are no longer under the radar. Thanks to TikTok, they are musicians on the rise, with a popular single, “You Wish,” countless viral videos to their credit, and more than 700,000 followers. While filming their content on one of the busiest streets in Los Angeles, they were recognized by excited fans.
While the rap duo’s early videos featuring their song garnered hundreds of thousands of views, their meteoric rise began when they uploaded a running video to TikTok on June 16. The video begins with them lip-syncing the verse “Hello, Christ? I am about to sin again.
“I wish I could say we knew exactly what we were doing, but we didn’t,” Tyler said. “We were just going for it.”
Their latest take on the genre had landed them on the Walk of Fame, where they were required to record themselves lip-synching to their song as they sprinted down the busy tourist street, dodging unsuspecting passers-by.
The concept for the videos came about after a collaborative session with his videographer.
“One day, I got the idea to run with our cameraman, Evan Blum, in the corner holding the camera,” Tyler said. “But then we told Evan about it, and he said, ‘I can run,’ so he ran and never stopped.”
The duo realized they were successful when their fans started requesting more videos.
“People started saying, ‘Oh, you should do it here, you should do it there,’” Kunerede said. “Then Evan said, ‘Let’s keep running.'”
His efforts paid off. Since the first video, the duo have uploaded 11 more videos of races at places like Disneyland, In-N-Out Burger, and the Santa Monica Pier, all just as daring and crowded as before. The videos have garnered millions of views.
While Tyler said the song’s “tough” lyrics have resonated with people, he knows the duo’s videos have helped give the music a big boost.
“The cinematography is great and we’re doing something,” he said. “We are running, she is a girl and another girl appears. There are so many elements that make it striking.”
For those wondering how they can speed through crowds without crashing or injuring anyone, they said they’ve never had a problem.
“It’s weird,” Tyler said. “Like when you run towards someone at 10 miles per hour, they just move.”
“Actually, we almost hit a baby once,” Tyler added, laughing.
It’s like our wildest dreams come true. And we couldn’t do it without those people who are like, ‘Oh, that’s those girls.’
Folayan Kunerede
Many fans in the comments section of his videos have wondered how the video is captured, how Tyler walks in at the right time, and what the camera setup looks like.
“It’s a secret,” said Blum, his cameraman, adding that the mystery is part of the appeal of the videos.
As their song goes mainstream and finds continued success, the duo said, they feel validated by their years of work.
“It’s like our wildest dreams come true,” Kunerede said. “And we couldn’t do it without those people saying, ‘Oh, those are those girls.'”
“Missy Elliott came over,” Tyler said. “That made our whole day. Keke Palmer posted to us the other day. Timbaland hated [the song]And now he loves it.”
The duo said they have no plans to slow down. They have more music in the works, but first they want to travel the world and continue to capture themselves running through crowds.
Following? “Times Square, all those lights,” Kunerede said. “And maybe, you know, a billboard behind us, out of our faces.”
