Before the Ikorodu Bois started getting attention and admiration from big music and movie stars in Hollywood, a quick google search of Ikorodu – a suburb of Lagos, Nigeria – would return search results which would include a poorly developed town and crime-prone. But that’s one side of the story.
The other side of the story of the bustling Ikorodu town is the emerging cultural and entertainment phenomena known as the Ikorodu Bois.
Since 2019, Ikorodu Bois, managed by their elder brother, 23-year-old Babatunde Sanni – who also edits the videos, is made up of 15-year-old Muiz Sanni, 10-year-old Malik Sanni and 13-year-old cousin Fawas Aina, have drawn admiration from Nigeria-based celebrities and the crème de la crème of Hollywood, including Will Smith after they recreated the ‘Bad Boys Forever’ trailer and Alvaro Morte (El Professor) when they re-made the trailer of ‘Money Heist. They have also mimicked music videos by Roddy Ricch and Justin Bieber.
The videos which are uploaded on Instagram, capture scene-by-scene actions and emotions of actors. They use everyday items as props to mimick multi-billion dollar movies and music videos. From using empty beer can as a scope mounted on a wooden rifle to substituting cars with wheelbarrows and replacing a road in New York with an untarred one in Ikorodu, the boys trigger laughter.
“A lot of people actually told our parents what their kids are doing they are just disturbing us in the streets, but they just kept supporting us,” they told CNN
While they get amazing comments for their creativity online, those who do not understand that what makes them outstanding are the everyday items they use as props, believe they are children who want to make big movies but have no equipment and props. But what they do and how they do it is their trademark.
The Ikorodu Bois depend on donations from admirers as they have not begun getting revenues from their videos.
Their hard work may have begun paying off as the recreation of the 2020 movie ‘Extraction’, got the attention and an offer from the Russo Brothers. It also got admiration from the movie streaming giant, Netflix.
In a tweet, the Russo Brothers said “this is awesome! We would love to have you guys at the #Extraction 2 premiere… DM us and we’ll get you there!”
The Ikorodu Bois said they ‘love to play’. But they have found a unique way to spread happiness and laughter across the world from the town of Ikorodu while doing what they love. Many believe they are destined for the big screen.
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