Celebrating Nigerian creators on TikTok

In Nigeria particularly, the role that TikTok is playing as a platform is even more impressive. Starting from helping to break new music, to further the reach of these sounds among its audience and more, the platform has made a significant impact on the creative economy.

In 2020, “Duduke,” a song by Simi took the app by storm birthing the Duduke Challenge that got over 65M views and more than 10k video creations while “Know You,” a Simi-assisted rap-sung collaboration with Ladipoe also made a big splash on the app & industry with its own challenge having over 10M views and over 5k videos made to the summer anthem.

TikTok has several easy-to-use video capturing and editing tools, providing a direct way for creators to connect with global audiences and their immediate community. The success of “Duduke” and “Know You” boiled down to inventive ways Simi and Ladipoe galvanized these communities as well as the innovation of creators to further the reach of the songs.

Through a careful combination of ingenious moves by creators and TikTok’s easy-to-use tools, the wave has picked up steam and established the cultural power of TikTok as a place to test out all the cool stuff moving culture in significant ways.

With more creators and diverse content increasingly gaining popularity and making their way to the heart of the Nigeria mainstream by virtue of their ubiquity on social media, we wanted to celebrate the creators who make the platform all the great things that it is. We highlight some of the most exciting Nigerian creators on TikTok below:

Since rising to popularity on TikTok a little over two months ago, Kennytrips2 has been virtually unstoppable, adding more than 300k followers to his community and the reason is easy to see. Whether flashing effortless smiles, juggling a football, or dancing along to a sweltering afrobeats banger, Kennytrips2 has his finger on the pulse of what his audience want to see.

He remembers being a shy person before he came on the app: “I used to be a shy type but making TikTok videos changed that personality in me acknowledging the fact that I make videos in public ,so now I’m free anytime anyday.” Presently, Kennytrips2 has over 450k followers and more than 3M likes on his videos on the platform.

Across a range of meme formats like Slo-mo videos, song sing-alongs, and duets, __jusstchael continues to shine. He is also a personality who uses the platform to express diverse sides of his masculinity healthily through dancing and engaging in other fun activities with friends on the platform.

He loves the camaraderie he witnesses on TikTok, pointing out that people engage with one another cheerfully. “The love and support I received and the way people communicate regardless of their age and social backgrounds is what I love about the app,” he says.

Since joining the platform a little over one year ago, he has built a community of over 140k followers and gotten over 3M likes on his content.

Recently, duets by Iamperryblink have caught the fancy of his audience, prompting them to ask for more, and he keeps delivering. But beyond that, the TikTok creator is a comic goof, regularly updating his account with skits and also encouraging healthy friendships.

He has over 440k followers and has received more than 4.5M likes on his videos. Sharing tips for up-and-coming TikToker creators, he said: “Just get a better phone and record with the trending sound. I’m sure if you don’t give up you’ll just wake up one day and find yourself blowing up if your content is good.”

Priscy__xx was sold on TikTok when a series of videos from the platform started appearing on her phone during the early days of 2020. Since then, she has become one of the most engaging creators on the app for a variety of reasons such as campaigning against domestic violence, posting quirky pick-up lines, and bringing her community into the daily routines of her life.

In her time on TikTok, she has learned to be happy with herself regardless of what others think. “Knowing you can’t please people on TikTok be it good or bad thought me a lot,” she says, “people are still gonna be against you while some will definitely be for you.” Priscy has over 220k followers and has received over 2M likes on her videos.

Operating from Abuja, Emmyjake continues to move across a wide spectrum, going from meme videos to song sing-alongs, and skits. He takes comfort from the fact that his TikTok content helps to put a smile on people’s faces. “Knowing the fact that what you actually do puts smiles on people’s faces has made me want to do more cause it’s all about positivity,” he says. Currently, he has more than 400k followers and has received over 4M likes on his videos.

The message that welcomes you to the TikTok account of Jennifrank29 is simple. She just wants you to be entertained. Her own quest for entertainment brought her to TikTok more than 12 months ago, and she has totally owned it. “I have always wanted to be in the spotlight, but I did not know which way to go about it,” she says.

“But with the TikTok platform, I have been able to achieve that to an extent.” Whether sharing videos of her having the time of her life at the NYSC camp or posting meme content, she is always in the spotlight. For Jenni, a number of TikTok challenges have stood out during her stint on the app.

“The most memorable for me is the transition and slowmo challenge, it is hard and stressful to shoot transition videos, but it was worth the stress,” she explains. Jenni has built a community of over 1.5M followers and received over 20M likes on her videos. Additionally, Jennifrank29 helped blow up old Nigerian songs like Yemi Alade’s “Single and Searching,” ultimately making the sound a trending one on TikTok more than two years after its original release.

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