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. The 💜 of EU techThe latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!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.” 3. Don’t just follow the crowd Willonius has always been fascinated by new forms of creativity. In 2007, he scored a viral hit on YouTube — a parody of Soulja Boy’s widely mocked yet wildly influential “Crank That.” But he was soon looking for more original paths.  Rather than follow trends, he sought new approaches. “If I would have done skits on TikTok, I would have just been doing it because everybody else was doing it,” he says. “And in my career, every time I’ve gone my own way, that’s when I’ve had the most success.” 4. Be consistent There’s no guaranteed formula for viral success. Willonius prefers to focus on the factors he can control. One of them is consistency. When he first started creating AI videos, they didn’t always bring in the views that he had expected. “It made me curb my expectations for my content — because you don’t know what’s ever going to go viral.” Instead of obsessing over every view, Willonius focused on releasing a steady stream of quality content. It eventually hit the mark. “Don’t worry about the views,” he suggests. “Just worry about the consistency and if you like what you produce. Everything else is out of your control.” 5. Embrace kaizen In his approach to consistency, Willonius applies a Japanese concept called “kaizen.” A philosophy of continuous improvement, kaizen emphasises the importance of small, incremental changes. “Every time you make art, you should make it with the intention of being better than the last time you made some art,” he says.  “Those are two things I do: stay consistent and just try to get better each time. And if I do those two things, I’m satisfied with the outcome.” 6. Quality counts One big reason for “BBL Drizzy’s” success? It’s simply a great song The catchy hook, memorable lyrics, and classic soul sound are a delight to the ear. “I think it proved that people don’t really care whether a song is AI generated or not,” Willonius says. “They just wanted to enjoy it and make them feel something. And when you heard that song, it made you laugh.” 7. Find your audience As the beef between Drake and Lamar turned ugly, “BBL Drizzy” offered welcome respite. It was a funny, light-hearted, good-natured counter to a vicious rap feud. The approach gave the track a broad appeal. “It’s a fun song — the lyrics are funny and it’s clean,” Willonius says. “Everybody across every age group, genre, and gender can enjoy it. Little children can sing it — and it’s a very singable song.” 8. Keep an eye on the future Pop culture and technology both move fast. Willonius follows each of them closely, keeping an eye out for emerging trends. He’s particularly excited about the creative possibilities of AI video. “We’re at the point now where anybody could make an AI feature film if they wanted to… The models are getting better,” he says. “They’re looking more realistic, more life-like.” A big upside, he says, is the democratising effect. For creators from marginalised backgrounds and those with limited resources, AI can open new doors to success. “It’s an exciting time to be a creator,” he says. “And it’s an exciting time for AI, because it’s getting better and better.” There’s still no magic formula for viral hits. But AI can give creators new tricks up their sleeves. If you want to catch King Willonius’ talk or anything else on the packed agenda for TNW Conference, we have a special offer for you. Use the code TNWXMEDIA2025 at the checkout to get 30% off your ticket. Story by Thomas Macaulay Managing editor Thomas is the managing editor of TNW. He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers. Away from work, he e (show all) Thomas is the managing editor of TNW. He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers. Away from work, he enjoys playing chess (badly) and the guitar (even worse). Get the TNW newsletter Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week. Also tagged with