Celebrity News

Khaby Lame is now the most-followed TikToker in the world

TikTok has a new reigning champion. Khaby Lame, a 22-year-old Senegalese-born creator, became the most-followed person on TikTok last night, surpassing American TikTok star Charli D’Amelio, who formerly had the distinction. Lame now has more than 142.7 million followers compared to D’Amelio’s 142.3 million.

Lame, who’s based in Italy, initially rose to fame through his use of TikTok’s duet and stitch features, reacting wordlessly to complicated and absurd “life hacks.” He now primarily posts silent comedy skits, racking up millions of views and likes. His following began exploding last year, and in recent weeks, fans have launched efforts to push him to the top.

Lame’s ascent and unseating of D’Amelio are significant. D’Amelio and her sister, Dixie, are two of the central figureheads of TikTok, building an entire media brand atop what they themselves admit was initially accidental stardom. Their meteoric rise to fame through seconds-long dancing videos has perplexed people not on TikTok — and inspired millions of followers to try to do the same. The sisters earned an estimated $27.5 million last year, according to estimates by Forbes.

Lame becoming the most popular personality on TikTok is notable given past issues raised by users on the platform around how creators of colour — and specifically Black creators — are treated.

In 2020, in response to accusations that the TikTok algorithm suppresses Black creators’ content, the company pledged to take steps, including creating a diversity council and donating money to nonprofits “that help the Black community.” Last year, citing a lack of credit for choreographing viral dances to hit songs, some Black creators took part in an informal strike, refusing to create dances that otherwise might disproportionately benefit white creators.

In Other News – Legendary designer Yu Suzuki returns with a wild arcade shooter

There’s a lot going on in Air Twister. The arcade-style shooter from legendary designer Yu Suzuki is out today on Apple Arcade, and it pushes players through a strange fantasy world full of armoured birds, flying squids, skeletal dragons, floating cities, and evil clocks.

Yu Suzuki

For Suzuki, who is best known for his work at Sega on games like Space Harrier, Shenmue, and Virtua Fighter, it was a chance to build a fantasy universe full of things he loved. “It’s an amalgamation of all of the different things that I would like to see in a fantasy world,” he tells The Verge. read more…

source – the verge