On set for their most recent song, “Paki Gang,” a parody of Gucci Gang by Lil Pump.
My latest guests in the #OnTheRise series, Alif Theory members Shimmer and Farosty, just dropped a mega-viral hit in their video “Paki Gang” and have been holding it down for the culture for a minute. Check out the next big content creators on the web:
They’ve been making great content for years
Farosty started the Youtube channel, RwnlPwnl, around 6-7 years ago, and he’s been creating memorable videos ever since. He began it as a troll account, but it quickly evolved into something bigger than he imagined. Farosty’s first video, “I’m a Desi boy”, amassed thousands of views in a few weeks and inspired him to continue making content. “I’m Desi and I know it”, his third work and first viral hit, has to date garnered over 230,000 views.
Shimmer’s talents range from the creative to the academic. He’s been playing in bands as a drummer and bassist and has been cooking up serious Youtube content for years. Well-versed in the tech world, Shimmer won 1st place at a tech startup competition with the novel idea of using Xbox Kinect to translate sign language into English. Shimmer and Farosty’s paths crossed in 2015, and they’ve been making “A1” content ever since!
Behind the Scenes of “Bakra Bhangra” a song made for a short film aired in Pakistan for Eid-al-Adha.
Alif Theory is a media collective that encompasses all of their brands
The name, derived from the Arabic/Urdu letter alif, has a poetic meaning behind it: just as the letter Alif denotes the beginning of the Arabic and Urdu alphabets, so too do they hope that Alif Theory will come to be the beginning of great feats in the future. The collective includes RwnlPwnl, the podcast Strange Flavors w/Amber (follow her at @ayeekhan), their individual Youtube channels Farosty and Shimmer, and much more. Alif Theory’s encompassing reach allows them to diversify their content and remain flexible: while RwnlPwnl will remain an account highlighting “the culture”, the podcast and other platforms will allow Shimmer and Farosty to collaborate with other dope content creators of various backgrounds.
Behind the scenes of “Punjabi Hype,” an original song made to unite Pakistan and India on the basis of dance and culture.
Shimmer and Farosty have been making some big moves
In the short 2 and a half years they’ve been collaborating with each other, Shimmer and Farosty have made the most out of every opportunity. Already, they’ve performed at over 20 colleges and universities around the country, and are slated for many more in the upcoming year! Notably, the duo performed at the Citizen Foundation Charity Gala last year that Daily Show Correspondent Hasan Minhaj had performed at the year prior.
“Paki Gang”, their latest video modeled after Lil Pump’s “Gucci Gang”, has become a mega viral hit. It has amassed hundreds of thousands of views on Facebook, Youtube and Instagram, and that’s without counting the views generated from other accounts that have reposted the video. Make sure you check it out - it’s fantastic!
A performance at the University of Maryland, College Park with Dawar (@whosdawid online) singing his part of Unattainable.
Their motto is “Now and Here”
“We always ask ourselves ‘When are you willing to start and where?”, they tell me. The answer, unequivocally, is “Now and Here”. They currently create content while managing a full school and workload, and develop their ideas largely by themselves. As they get bigger and bigger, they hope to bring more people on board to magnify their projects. “We want Alif Theory to be like OVO”, they tell me. Just as OVO - Drake’s label - is more than just music, Shimmer and Farosty want Alif Theory to be a movement that invigorates and inspires people.
Alif Theory is certainly #OnTheRise!
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