Today, there are stories of people gaining millions of likes by sharing their 3-hours sleeping video or a video of themselves counting from zero to an incredibly high number. But the story of Khaby Lame, a famous man who shares videos of himself reacting to ridiculous life-hacks with silent expressions, is exceptional and spectacular.

Who could have thought that a person would gain 130 million followers on TikTok by just being silent and rolling his eyes in this present generation? Meanwhile, unlike others who have tried the same path just to be famous for a while, Khaby Lame is still drawing his mark on the internet. He’s currently the second most-followed TikToker globally and the most-followed TikToker in Italy.

This article brings the younger generation a story of success and hopes to the aspiring social media Influencers- How did Khaby Lame become a boss through TikTok?

Khaby Lame Origin and Foray into TikTok

Khabane is one of the four children born into the Lame Family. He’s born in Senegal, a country in West Africa, but bred in Italy. His family relocated to Italy when he was just one year old, where he spent his childhood and teenage years in public housing in Chivaso.

Although he’s usually referred to as Italian, Khaby is yet to possess the Italian citizen. He’s still a Senegalese by birth and aspiring for citizenship in the country.

Khabane was a factory worker at an industry in Turin until 2020, when he was laid off during the Pandemic. He learned about TikTok and decided to experiment and have fun with the app during this time. Like other amateurs, Khaby Lame tried various content styles like dancing, singing, video games, and reactions.

Surprisingly, these videos caught people’s interest and brought many likes and followings to his account. One of his favorite videos shows him reacting to a guy using cleavers to peel a banana when he could have used his hands. Seeing that people love these videos, he settled for this content and kept making more of it.

In less than a year, Khabby Lame surpassed Gianluca Vacchi to become the most followed Italian TikToker. And in July 2021, his number of followers outgrew Addison Rea’s, and he’s currently second to Charli D’Amelio. On hitting 65 million followers, he made TikTok his full-time job and quit searching for a new job.

Khaby Lame’s TikTok growth secret

The Twenty-two years old TikToker was able to achieve so much on the platform within a short period because he dared to do what others couldn’t do. By being silent and simple, Khaby destroyed the language barrier problem and connected to a larger audience all across the globe.

He revealed that people laughed when watching his videos because of his expressions in an interview. He further explained that his silent reactions to those life hacks are “global language” that anyone could relate with and understand.

Another thing about him is his authenticity. People hide their authenticity with filters and flashy cameras in this present internet and social media freaked world. If you’re to think of a typical social media male personality, you would probably picture a cute and wealthy guy making content with a high-resolution camera in his mansion or well-decorated apartment.

Khaby lame didn’t get the luxury to start like this. He created his first videos from the mildly decorated bedroom he shares with his brother. These videos have poor lighting because he made them use an outdated phone. Khaby later acquired an iPhone when his TikTok account began to grow.

Unlike every other social media that faked lifestyles to attract followers, Khaby dared to be authentic. Even though his production process lacks the polished touch, his authenticity brought him more than he could ever imagine.

Adam Meskouri, a digital content creator from Birmingham, while talking about Khaby Lame success in an interview, mentioned that “the problem people are starting to see with big influencers is that they set certain standards of how to look, what’s cool and what’s not.” He continued by saying that “Then, Khaby comes, and he’s just a normal dude.” He nailed it!

Khaby did the opposite of what influencers are doing to their audience. The present-day Influencers are making simple tasks complicated for their followers. They want followers to take the complex method to appear cool or wealthy. Khaby came into the game to reassure people that being authentic is super-cool and way better than copying ridiculous life hacks.

He can also gain wide recognition because his videos are memes source. Digital creators usually download videos to extract pictures converted to memes by adding funny captions. Moreover, his videos are algorithm friendly.

Khaby’s videos are usually shorts. Therefore, YouTubers could add up clips to make content. They made him more famous and wrote his names across several platforms. The secrets of his success are not complete with talking about his consistency—Khaby posts almost every day.

Khaby Lame challenges and roadblocks as a social media influencer

Yes, it’s okay to say that Khaby’s success in social media was meteoric. However, it’s not too quick to avoid the challenges in the career. As a black guy struggling to make a name for himself among other great influencers, he also had his share of racism in the world.

Living in public housing protected him against racism when he was young. Speaking about his growing up in an interview, Khaby noted that “his friends have always been protective of him.” However, speaking against the social vices made him lose some followers.

In late 2021, he shared an anti-racism post on his Instagram handle, making him lose followers on his social networks. But he bounced back in no time by even sticking to his position and condemning people engaging in the act.

Khaby Lame, the TikTok boss

In two years of his TikTok career, Khaby lame has signed some great endorsement deals. He’s currently a brand ambassador for Barilla, an Italian food company. Khaby also has a contract with an Indian Fantasy sports platform, Dream 11. He’s also appeared in a Netflix ad.

He’s playing the game like a boss and earning big from his videos and endorsements. Khaby’s net worth is estimated to be between USD 1.8 million and 2.0 million dollars. Speculations say that he earns about $50,000 for every promotional video he made and about $200,000 monthly.

By studying his lifestyle, Khaby is not driven by money and fame. He’s driven by his aspiration to become the entertainment industry star, like his idols Will Smith, Checco Zalone, and Eddie Murphy. He would be more proud and fulfilled when he gets the chance to work with any of them.

And as his career is growing so fast, he could see those dreams coming to fruition very soon. Khaby has gotten a thumbs up from Will Smith and Mark Zuckerberg on his Instagram handle.

Endurance is the key to TikTok success.

Khaby might have achieved a lot by thinking outside the box and being consistent, but he also recognizes that endurance is essential in building a social media career.

“The secret is endurance, above all,” he advised the upcoming influencers. He would have missed his opportunity of becoming TikTok famous if he had given up when everything was not rosy. Endurance is that ability that makes one continue even when things are not working out according to expectations.

Khaby Lame’s success story mixes hard work, creativity, consistency, and great rewards. All these abilities and traits are needed to become a boss through TikTok.