Before he was recognized as one of the only Canadian creators on the 2022 Black TikTok Trailblazers List, Akintoye grew a massive audience (2.5M+ followers) on the platform with his off-the-cuff freestyle skills – cue his freestyle about the COVID-19 vaccine (19.3M+ views) and his emphatic “I’m Broke” (21.4K+ creations). The Toronto native’s animated lyrical skills have inspired the TikTok community once again, as creators use his viral song “Pizzazz” to share their mental health checks in a lighthearted way.
Previously released as a snippet on his page, Akintoye’s catchy track is a response to a comment, where one of his followers asked him about how he’s feeling. “Pizzazz” has more than 214K video creations to date, and its TikTok success helped the song rack over 1M streams on Spotify in over a week of its official release. Akintoye’s success translates beyond TikTok – over the weekend, he performed at Toronto Raptors’ Scotiabank Arena for the 2022 NBA playoffs
1. How did you get to this many followers and why do you think they are so fond of your content?
I built my following through my rapping videos. I kept posting consistently and maintaining transparency with the people watching my videos and I think that’s why they became so fond of my content. There’s a level of vulnerability and honesty I bring to all of my videos, which some people consider to be refreshing and endearing.
2. What’s the secret to being successful on social media these days?
There’s really no one secret to being successful on social media. Everybody makes different types of content in different niches. The most important thing is finding your audience. Once you’ve managed to figure out who your content is meant for, you’re able to operate with more confidence and intention behind your content.
3. How did you come up with your vaccine freestyle?
I was just annoyed seeing all the ridiculous discourse about the vaccine. The verse came together in a couple of minutes and I really didn’t think much of it. I made the video thinking it was gonna be funny and harmless. I had no idea it was gonna do what it did.
4. What feeling or message do you want to convey with your content?
I just want to let people know it’s okay to be a human by showing them what I deal with and think about on a day to day basis.
5. What is your main objective as a content creator?
My main objective is really to connect with people. As a musician, a lot of my music can be enhanced by the listener being able to see my face while they listen. It adds a layer of connection. Especially considering some of the things I rap about on social media.
6. What are you working on these days and what are your plans for the rest of the year?
These days I’m working on new music. I recently finished a brand new album and new songs are being made every day. I’m looking forward to dropping some more music and hopefully getting the chance to perform live and connect in real life with some of the people I’ve reached over the internet for the last couple of years.
