- Bobbi (left) and Folayan of rap duo Flyana Boss. Photo: Atlantic Records.
Flyana Boss have turned the rat race of social media algorithms into their very own rap race.
The alternative-rap duo (known individually as Folayan and Bobbi) met years ago while at college in Los Angeles — Bobbi is originally from Detroit, while Folayan is a Dallas native whose childhood often orbited hometown hero Erykah Badu.
But it wasn’t until last year that they went worldwide with runaway viral success for videos featuring their infectiously bubble-gummed single, “You Wish.”
The song even captivated Internet Main Characters like Trisha Paytas and Lil Nas X as videos using “You Wish” as a “sound,” or background song, on TikTok have amassed tens of millions of views.
The videos usually feature the pair running through crowds in public spaces, like the Hollywood Walk of Fame or the glossy breakrooms of Google’s headquarters, leaving their footprints amid the chaos. Their digital footprints, meanwhile, can be found in nearly every corner of social media since.
@flyanaboss Replying to @mysaltylove_ 🏃🏾♀️🏃🏽♀️ can yall believe we still haven’t bumped into anyone!! 😱 where too next?! 👀 #flyanaboss #evanblummadeit ♬ You Wish – Flyana Boss
“We’re just quirky Black girls and we don’t take ourselves too seriously, ” Bobbi said, in a recent phone interview. “We’re not worried about whatever expectations anyone has about what a Black girl should be.”
The pair have a yin/yang balance and, like sisters, often finish each other’s sentences. Flyana Boss attribute their viral success to the organic nature of their friendship. They were initially drawn to each other by mutual admiration and a fun-first mindset — they want to give solace to anyone who might share in their feelings of not fitting in, but they want to shake ass while doing it. Their music, with its blithe and bright vitality, has bottled that energy.
“We just really like to have fun, and we’re actually real friends,” Folayan said.
“Our music has only made us closer,” Bobbi added.
The duo describes its brand-new single “Yeaaa” as a boastful banger, and one that is bubbling over with the same sprightly fun that can be heard in the song that brought them elusive virality. And they assure there’s even more fun to be had on their forthcoming EP, This Ain’t The Album, out on March 29.
“Yes, we went viral, but [the music] is actually translating to real life fans who are coming out to see us,” Folayan says. “It makes us emotional to even think about it.”
Now with co-signs from the likes of Janelle Monae, Ke$ha and Missy Elliot, they have bossed up for a headlining tour across North America. Their “Bosstanical Garden Tour” stops at the House of Blues in Dallas – just a holler from Folayan’s prestigious alma mater, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.
“We’ll see how I feel when we get there, but I’m excited for it,” Folayan said about returning to a hometown stage. “We just hope people have fun, dance with their besties, feel empowered, and feel like a bad bitch.”
Flyana Boss’ “The Bosstanical Garden Tour” stops at the House of Blues on Tuesday, March 12.
