This week, a viral song offered a glimpse of the future of AI: “BBL Drizzy.” The song was released during the feud between Kendrick and Drake. As the rappers traded insults, a New York-based comic named Willonius H. Hatcher — aka. The beef was dominated by King Willonious’ track.
Inspired from a dubious claim claiming that Drake had a Brazilian cleavage lift, “BBL Drizzy”blended AI, pop culture, comedy, and music. The song quickly went viral. Drake himself rapped it over a Metro Boomin beat that went viral. “BBL Drizzy”a song by Metro Boomin, became a cultural touchstone in 19659005. The Washington Post described it as “a real breakthrough in AI art,” and Wired called it “the beginning of AI music’s future.” Time magazine named Willionius one of the 100 people most influential in AI. Willonius, who will speak at TNW Conference on June 19, — is modest in his creation. He says, “It was one of those things that everything was perfectly aligned.” But that’s underselling his success. Willonius is a master at creating online sensations. Here are a few of his tips for achieving internet gold.
1. Hone your skills.
Willonius spent years honing the craft of a writer and comedian before he turned his attention to AI. He challenged himself to produce an album and write 30 scripts within 30 days. Every monthand “put in my 10,000 hours” to master comedy music.
This same work ethic was applied to AI. He spent eight hours per day in ChatGPT from December 2022 until April 2023. He also experimented with visual tools intensively, creating more than 30,000 images in Midjourney as well as generating movie trailers to accompany his scripts.
He says, “You never can tell what will go viral.” “All you can do is maintain a system and work ethic. Even when [‘BBL Drizzy’] became viral, I continued to work.
Capture the zeitgeist.
Timing plays a major role in viral success. “BBL Drizzy’s” arrival at a perfect time was a key factor. The public was captivated by the Drake-Kendrick feud and the burgeoning interest in AI.
In the month of April, Rick Ross added his own contribution to this beef by claiming that Drake had a surgically enhanced posterior. A few days earlier, a group of former Google DeepMind scientists had released a beta version of Udio, a powerful AI music generator. Willonius
brought it all together. He wrote comedy lyrics that mocked Drake in a gentle way, and Udio turned them into songs. He settled on a vintage soul sound from the 1970s. The track, with its catchy title and chorus about the alleged butt boost, gave the feud a new dimension. Willonius:
“There was a comedian trying to make jokes on it.” “But not really making songs about that beef.”
3. Don’t follow the crowd
Willonius is always fascinated by new forms creativity. In 2007, Willonius scored a viral success on YouTube — a parody of Soulja Boy’s widely ridiculed yet wildly influential song “Crank That”. But he soon began looking for more creative paths. He was not interested in following trends but rather new approaches. He says that if he had done TikTok skits, he would have been following the trend. “In my career, I have had the most success when I have done things my way.
” 4. Be consistent.
There is no formula for viral success. Willonius prefers focusing on the factors that he can control. One of these is consistency.
His first AI videos didn’t always get the views he expected. It made me lower my expectations for my content, because you never know what will go viral. It finally hit the mark.
He suggests, “Don’t worry too much about the views.” “Just focus on consistency and whether you like the work you produce.
Embrace kaizen.
Willonius’ approach to consistency is based on a Japanese concept known as “kaizen”. A philosophy of continual improvement, kaizen emphasizes the importance small, incremental changes.
He says that every time you create art, you should do it with the goal of improving on the previous work.
I try to stay consistent and improve each time. If I do these two things, then I’m happy with the result.
Quality counts
Is “BBL Drizzy”‘s success due to this? It’s a great song.
The catchy tune, memorable lyrics, classic soul sound, and classic groove are a delight for the ear. Willonius: “I think that it proved that people do not really care whether or not a song was AI generated.”
They just wanted to have fun and feel something. When you heard that song it made you laugh.
7 Find your audience
When the beef between Drake Lamar turned ugly, BBL Drizzy offered a welcome respite. It was a light-hearted, funny counter to a vicious, rap feud.
This approach gave the track an appeal to a wide audience.
Willonius: “It’s an upbeat song – the lyrics are funny, and it’s clean.” Everyone can enjoy this song, regardless of age, gender, or genre. It’s easy to sing, even for little children.
Keep an eye on future
Both pop culture and technology move quickly. Willonius keeps a close eye on each, keeping a watchful eye out for emerging trends. He is particularly excited by the creative possibilities of AI videos.
He says that the models are improving. “Anyone can make an AI feature film now if they want to… “They look more realistic, more lifelike.”
He says that a big advantage is the democratising aspect. AI can be a great tool for creators with limited resources and marginalised backgrounds.
He says, “It is an exciting time to create.” “It’s a great time for AI because it is improving.”
But there’s no magic formula to viral hits. But AI can help creators learn new tricks. We have a special deal for those who want to attend King Willonius’ talk
or any other event on the packed scheduleat TNW Conference. Use the code TNWXMEDIA2025 to get 30% off your ticketfor or.
