2023 Rewind: Flyysoulja of Island Boys Comes Out after Video of Him Kissing Twin Brother

This piece is part of EDGE's 2023 Rewind series. We're reaching into our archives and sharing some of our favorite stories from the past year.

Rapper Flyysoulja of Island Boys came out on TikTok Live, declaring he "like[s] men" - an announcement he made in the wake of the brothers posting a video of themselves kissing, Indy 100 reported.

More than that, the rapper got specific about some of the details.

"I'm a top, I'm never a bottom, I'm a top," Flyysoulja, whose real name is Alex Venegas, stated. "You understand what I'm saying?"

The rapper hammered home the point, adding: "I'm like that, for real. You gotta support me because you feel me: I like men, and it is what it is."

Flyysoulja and his identical twin brother Kodiyakredd (real name Franky Venegas) raised eyebrows with their kissing video, which arrived along with news of their OnlyFans site.

The brothers, 22, initially discounted any sexual interpretation of their kissing, however, with Flyysoulja telling TMZ, "We're both straight males, and kissing is not counted as a sexual act."

Some on social media begged to differ, Indy 100 noted. "Many people slammed the content for being 'incest,'" the site observed.

The brothers followed up with a July 31 TikTok post showing them cozied up to one another, shirtless, as a song playing over the video crooned lyrics about "my man." At one point, one of the brothers caressed the other's torso.

@flyysouljah #flyysoulja #fyp #kodiyakredd #islandboys ♬ original sound - ereunna2u

The comments reflected uncertainty about what seemed to be an erotic vibe between the brothers. "This is getting out of hand," one person commented.

Just hours earlier, the two had posted another suggestive video, in which one of them mouthed along to a song while the video's caption read, "He keeps cheating on me."

@flyysouljah Twitter 😳 #flyysoulja #fyp #kodiyakredd #islandboys ♬ original sound - I own your fyp

But even at that point, the narrative seemed to be getting threadbare. "I'm clutching my purse," one person commented dryly. "Bro they js doing this fo the money☠️," another said.

Flyysoulja seemed to acknowledge this himself, and indicate that he was in on the joke, in a July 21 TikTok where he 's seen counting a huge wad of cash and laughing beneath a reshare of a message that reads, "Bro you kissed your twin brother and you're not embarrassed."

@flyysouljah Replying to @israel #flyysoulja #flyysoulja #fyp #kodiyakredd ♬ original sound - nat ꨄ

Another clue might be found in Flyysoulja telling TMZ that the initial kissing post was the brothers' way of calling out attention to prurient content.

"Flyysoulja says they put up the clip for another reason, though," TMZ related, "telling us they wanted to see 'how f***ed up this world is.'"

"He points out that the attention they've been getting isn't at all the same response to his community outreach."

So is it all a joke? A sarcastic comment? A marketing ploy? Or is it all sincere? Time will tell.