In 2021, a TikTok of Canadian rapper bbno$ raising his eyebrows to the beat of his single "Edamame" started gaining traction — and eventually changed the course of his career.
The platform's Canadian team suggested he recreate the clip with a safari-themed filter, then helped push it globally.
"When that happened, the song just skyrocketed," he says of the track, which features Indonesian rapper Rich Brian and went six-times Platinum in various countries.
bbno$ is among several Canadian artists worried about losing social media support that can make or break their careers as TikTok prepares to comply with a federal order to shut down its operations in Canada.
For Canadian musicians, TikTok can be as vital as radio play once was. Its algorithm lets songs leap borders instantly, offering