The Island Boys, Alex "Flyysoulja" Venegas, and Franky "Kodiyakredd" Venegas have attained internet notoriety and memehood through their inescapable "Island Boy" freestyle, which first hit TikTok back in October.
Since going viral, the Island Boys have made headlines on multiple occasions and have a social media presence. With these twin brothers gaining more and more attention, we've decided to compile some facts about this polarizing duo.
Here are nine things to know about the Island Boys.
They were born and raised in the Sunshine State
The Island Boys being from Florida adds to the ever-growing list of memes about the state, as there's a notorious stereotype about it being the home of many "unique" individuals.
Regardless, the Island Boys are proud to represent the Sunshine State, and their experience growing up in Florida and representing this stereotype is essentially what inspired their viral freestyle.
@kodiyakredd Reply to @rayhachem #LaysGoldenDuet
#fyp
#AVrboForTogether
#AVrboForTogether
#foryou
#islandboy🌴
#redd_4x
#flyysoulja
#kodiyakredd
♬ original sound – Kodiyakredd
They were brought up by a single mother
Shortly after the Island Boys achieved stardom, No Jumper interviewed them and gave the brothers a platform to tell more of their story. The brothers discussed their upbringing during the interview, revealing their mother raised them alone after their father passed away.
"[Our] dad died at an early age from a heart attack," Kodiyakredd revealed. "He died around 5 [or] 6, so my mom was a single mom. She struggled a lot, but she tried to make us have a good life. She loved us."
"My mom's a Cuban lady. If you don't know how Spanish moms are, they're very loving. They're tough, but their love is real," he added.
They were wildin' back in the day
Before the Island Boys achieved TikTok fame, they were in and out of trouble for things like burglaries, drug charges, and car theft.
"We didn't follow no rules. We wasn't listening to nobody. We didn't have a father figure growing up, so we was out here wildin' and stuff," Kodiyakredd stated. "The police back in our city they knew that our mom couldn't control us."
"We were out of control," added Flyysoulja. "We thought we could do whatever we want, and we got away with it because when you're like a little kid, it's like a slap on a wrist when you get in the system."
Flyysoulja also went on to elaborate further in a TikTok upload.
"My mom, she tried to do her best to take care of me and my brother," he stated. "We had a lot of freedom, me and my brother, and that [caused] us to do a lot of bad things in life. And we had to learn the hard way 'cause we were hard-headed."
@flyysouljah Reply to @rilxy.12 #islandboys
#DuetDoWet
#28DaysOfEucerin
#flyysoulja
#ITriedItIPrimedIt
#redd_4x
#fyp
♬ original sound – Flyysoulja
They're fraternal twins—not identical
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to deduce that the Island Boys are twin brothers, but you may be surprised to learn that they're not identical.
"A lot of people think we look alike, but we're fraternal," Flyysoulja revealed.
"We always looked alike, but we are fraternal, most def," Kodiyakredd confirmed.
It's also worth pointing out that Kodiyakredd is about 2 minutes older than Flyysoulja.
@kodiyakredd Reply to @jayvff #ForYouPizza
#flysoulja
#redd4x
#foryoupage
#fyp
#redd_4x
♬ original sound – Kodiyakredd
There's a deep meaning behind their forehead tattoos
Aside from their wick dreads, the Island Boys' tatts are one of the first things people notice, particularly those on their faces. During an interview with Know Your Meme, they dished on the tattoos that were smack in the middle of their foreheads.
"The eagle just means I'm a leader because it's a bald eagle," Kodiyakkredd stated. "A bald eagle is a very rare bird, so I'm like 'I consider myself rare,' and that's why I got a bald eagle. And it's asymmetrical."
"I got a 17 'cause I'm special; I'm gonna make my own way," Flyysoulja revealed. "It's a spiritual angel number."
Despite going viral, they're not exactly loved by fans
They may be an internet sensation, but the Island Boys get their fair share of hate in real life. Back in late 2021, they were memorably booed offstage in their home state, and they were also heckled at Jack Paul's fight against Tyrone Woodley.
"I want people to understand that [we] are not out to clout chase or to pick fights or to bully people. We're not those types of people; we're actually goodhearted, young 20-year-olds," they said in a video statement. "We wanna be positive role models."
They have beef with Jake Paul
Speaking of Jake Paul and the Island Boys, things didn't go too smoothly during the brothers' appearance on Impaulsive, as they straight up walked out mid-interview after the subject of their finances came up.
Paul referred to the brothers as "punks" after the fact, so it looks like there's still some bad blood.
DV allegations against Kodiyakredd
As Blavity previously reported, Kodiyakredd was recently hit with abuse allegations against his ex-girlfriend, Montaisha Shanell.
"Y'ALL WANNA BE AN 'ISLAND GIRL SO BADDDDD' GO AHED AN BE ONE [sic]," Shanell wrote in a now-deleted Instagram upload. "Lemme show you WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE AN ISLAND GIRL BEAT ON EVERY DAY TREATED LIKE NOTHING. DON'T BELIEVE THE FAIRY-TALE THEY SELL YOU."
"Woman beater, bro. [He] beats the s**t out of me every f**king day, bro. You want to support him and support him and support him, cool. But I'm done," Shanell said in a separate IG Live. "I'm done biting my f**king tongue on this n***a beating the s**t out of me, bro. I'm done."
They have allegedly 'always been popular'
Most may have learned of the Island Boys last fall, though they have allegedly been poppin' on the local level for a bit longer.
"You want me to be real; we always been popular. Of course, we weren't famous and we didn't have money," Flyysoulja stated during their No Jumper interview. "For example, when I was locked up, a lot of people were trying to be rappers. So I'm like 'Fuck it, I'm gonna dive in the game.' And a lot of people were like 'Bro, you look famous already.'"
Whether you love them or hate them, there's no denying the hold the Island Boys have had over pop culture for the past few months, and we'll be keeping an eye on them as they continue with their antics.
