Exclusive: TikToker Wilson Muchemi on copying Lil Maina’s style
Kenyan TikToker Wilson Maina Muchemi addressed critics who claimed he copied fellow renowned TikToker Lil Maina’s style to make it big on social media.
According to an earlier Nairobi News report, Wilson said he tried his hand at TikTok content creation at the urging of his younger cousin, and his first video hit 700 views.
Also read: Watch: How TikToker Wilson Muchemi got his big break
He was ecstatic about this because he had constantly been disappointed with getting 50 views or lower on is Instagram videos. He was further shocked when the next TikTok video he made garnered 300,000 views.
“I did a video with my grandma. People said I copied Lil Maina in one sort of way. I was disturbing her and I was like- I just entered the kitchen and I was like ‘I want to shoot this video with you so get ready’ I started talking in English and comically, she started laughing and said something back in Kikuyu.
I was like, ok, let me post it. I posted it, and seconds later I’m seeing my comment section filled up with accusations that I copied Lil Maina, trying to be like him instead of being original.
You know the way Kenyans have all this banter and stuff. It got to I think 300,000 views and that’s when I knew, wow, I can really make it,” said Wilson.
Wilson, however, said he was happy that his video had hit hundreds of thousands of views despite the criticism, as this launched him into online fame. Wilson Muchemi currently has 45,500 followers who have garnered him over 1.5 million likes for his TikTok content.
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“I was happy. I can’t even explain. I was running around the house, jumping everywhere shouting I had gotten to 100k. I then decided to do the next video and it went down to like 10k views. I realized that this thing (TikTok) has a mechanics of how it works. Not every video will hit but I was very happy,” he added .
Lil Maina, born Jeremy Maina, is an upcoming rapper who already enjoys social media fame for being a comedian.
He especially garnered attention for pestering his grandparents and positing their interactions on social media. Lil Maina was raised by his grandparents and was often pranking his grandfather who became a staple in his videos.
Unfortunately, Lil Maina’s grandfather passed on in February 2023, and Lil Maina mourned him as the best grandfather ever. He also believed that life would never be the same without his indulgent grandfather who doted on him.
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