A year ago this week, a viral hit offered a glimpse into the future of AI music: “BBL Drizzy.”
The song emerged during the feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake. As the rappers traded disses, a New York-based comedian named Willonius Hatcher — aka King Willonious — brought his own track to the beef.
Inspired by a dubious claim that Drake had a Brazilian butt lift, “BBL Drizzy” blended AI, comedy, pop culture, and music. The song swiftly went viral. It was later sampled in a beat by star producer Metro Boomin, which also went viral, and got rapped over by Drake himself.
“BBL Drizzy” became a cultural touchstone. The Washington Post called it “a real breakthrough for AI art,” while Wired described it as “the beginning of the future of AI music.” Time magazine named Willionius one of the 100 most influential people in AI.
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Willonius — who will speak at TNW Conference on June 19 — is modest about his creation. “It was just one of those things where everything was in perfect alignment,” he says. But that’s selling his success short. Willonius has established a proven track record for creating online sensations. Here are some of his tips on striking internet gold.
1. Hone your skills
Willonius had spent years honing his craft as a comedian and writer before shifting focus to AI. He’s challenged himself to write 30 scripts in 30 days, produce an album every month, and “put in my 10,000 hours” to master comedy music.
He applied that same work ethic to AI. From December 2022 to April 2023, he spent eight hours a day prompting in ChatGPT. He also experimented intensively with visual tools, creating over 30,000 images in Midjourney and generating movie trailers for his scripts.
“You never know what could go viral,” he says. “All that you can do is just maintain a system and a work ethic. Even when [‘BBL Drizzy’] went viral, my whole thing was to keep working.”
2. Capture a zeitgeist
Timing is a key ingredient in viral success — and “BBL Drizzy” arrived at a perfect moment. Interest in AI was surging and the Drake-Kendrick feud had captivated the public.
In April, rapper Rick Ross made his own contribution to the beef, claiming that Drake’s posterior was, um, surgically enhanced. Days earlier, a team of former Google DeepMind researchers had released the beta version of a powerful new AI music generator called Udio.
Willonius brought all of this together. He penned comedy lyrics that gently mocked Drake and prompted Udio to turn them into various songs. Eventually, he settled on a vintage ’70s soul sound. With a catchy title and a chorus about the alleged butt-boost, the track brought the feud into a new dimension.
“There were comedians trying to make jokes about it,” Willonius says. “But not really making any songs about that beef.”