"You My Lil Boo Thang": The Backstory Behind the Viral Song That's Taking Over Your Timeline
Published Aug. 9 2023, 1:18 p.m. ET
Gone are the days when radio stations were the first to break a record.
Thanks to social media apps like TikTok, creative control has been put back into the hands of the artist and we truly love to see it. Just look at artists like Ice Spice and Mae Stephens, who went viral on the app and were subsequently catapulted into the spotlight.
Among the latest to join the long list of artists who belong in TikTok’s Hall of Fame is Paul Russell — creator of the viral “You My Lil’ Boo Thang” song that has probably taken over your timeline.
Meet the creator of the “You My Lil Boo Thang” song that’s taking over social media.
If you thought The Emotions’ “Best of My Love” was a bop, just wait until you hear Paul’s remix. I think we can all agree that “You My Lil Boo Thang” was the Summer 2023 bop we didn’t know we needed.
“You my lil boo thang / So I don’t give a hoot what your dude say,” Paul sings in the chorus. “Girl I know you a lil’ too tame / I be shooting that shot like 2K.”
Paul captioned the now-viral video: “When you’re a rapper but your favorite genres are soul and funk.”
The TikToker first debuted the song on the app in June. In the weeks that followed, the audio clip gained massive popularity. TikTokers eventually came up with choreography for “You My Lil Boo Thang” that’s just as funky as the single’s bassline.
This major fast food franchise hopped on the “You My Lil Boo Thang” bandwagon.
Since Paul first shared the post, the audio has been used in more than 43,000 TikTok posts and counting. TikTok users have created videos — all of which are guaranteed to make your heart smile — using the audio that feature their lovers, friends, and pets alike.
Even Sonic has hopped on the “Boo Thang” bandwagon and has offered to partner with the TikTok star. “How can we help get this more viral? Because this is [fire emoji.]”
As of this writing, the song is still unreleased. But that hasn’t stopped users from bumping the single non-stop. Paul teased that the song will be available on streaming platforms sooner than later in a series of promising follow-up posts on TikTok.
Paul said that he’s still ironing out the details of the song’s release, but encouraged viewers to learn the viral dance in the meantime.
He captioned a post: “They told me to stall while they finish getting the paperwork signed, so here I am exposing my lack of coordination SMH. Yall better learn this dance!”
Well, you heard the man! Get to stepping!
