Sórósoke Downtown: Ling and Lamb
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- February 14, 2021
Acclaimed Nigerian musician and prison reform advocate Yinka Lawanson popularly known as Lamboginny alongside his better half Taccara Rae are one of the hottest viral sensations on the video-sharing social network Tik Tok. Known to fans as Ling and Lamb, the duo are a breath of fresh air on social media with their engaging and adorable content.
Where and how did you guys meet?
We met during my first trip to the US during a fundraising concert for my prison projects in Weston, Connecticut. After the concert I invited Ling to play the lead role in my music video after which we quickly became great friends and very fond of each other.
When did you begin creating content together?
We have always recorded ourselves being silly since we started dating. But officially, we started our Ling and Lamb content creation in the final weeks of August 2020/early September 2020.
How does it feel to be internet sensations?
We are grateful to God for the opportunity to share our experience with the world. It’s still surreal to see the amount of people who have found a home in our beautiful foolishness. It makes us so happy to know that we can do what we love each day, while making people feel good and happy each day as well. It’s a very fulfilling and humbling feeling.
You recently surpassed 100 million views on TikTok and that’s huge! How do you feel about your massive success on the platform?
We truly feel blessed and grateful that millions of people from across the world can relate with our content. It’s crazy to think that our love of food, exploring new things and love/relationship chats resonate with so many people, from so many different cultures and generations. It’s an unexplainable feeling to be honest, lol.
What fascinates you most about each other’s respective cultures?
LING: I am fascinated by Lamb’s food culture. There is so much tradition, preparation, love, and passion that comes from his culture and directly translates into his delicious meals…I don’t even think he knows this, but it really amazes me and makes me interested to learn more
LAMB: I love Ling’s playful nature. She helped me to see life from a global perspective, helped open my eyes; if you will. Being that my wife is of multiple races, I’m excited to learn about the different cultures that come along with her mixed race.
Where’s your dream baecation destination?
This is extremely tough, as our ultimate baecation is to traval THE WORLD! But Wifey and I really can’t wait to visit Japan, Italy (for Ling’s authentic pizza lol) and the Seychelles Islands! We love being in beautiful, different spaces!
What’s an ideal weekend for the both of you?
An ideal weekend for us can truly be different pending on our mood at the time. BUT, I think a really ideal weekend looks like sweat pants, 6am donut run from our favorite: Lakeside Diner, a quick nap, Lifetime movies, listening to music and dancing around the apartment, content creation/editing and deep/random conversations on our fav couch in the living room.
Who’s more romantic and what’s the most romantic thing the person has done recently?
LAMB: Well Ling says I’m more romantic, but I think she’s more romantic and doesn’t see it. Being considerate of each other with the little things is key for me. The most romantic thing Ling has done for me lately was nominate me for Good Morning America’s Inspiration List for 2021: Who’s Making Black History. I was featured for my works and so humbled and honored to have this surprise from Ling.
LING: Lamb is DEFINITELY the romantic out of the two of us LOL. He is so sweet and loving in a way that almost three years later, doesn’t make sense to me. The most romantic thing Lamb has done for me recently is cook dinner and clean the house every single day since busy season picked up at my job. Things like this drive me crazy in the best way
What’s your favorite thing about each other?
Ling: I love Lamb’s eyes, laugh and smile. His eyes make me fall in love with him each day, because they are so big and dreamy. His laugh makes my heart melt with joy and feel like a kid again. His smile makes me know that no matter what, everything is beautiful and will be ok.
LAMB: I love Ling’s sarcastic nature. I love her goofy, silly, playful disposition and outlook on life. Yet, she is able to balance it with great discipline. Last, but definitely not least, I LOVE her Rolling Donuts- which will forever be our inside joke/secret
What got you so interested in prison reform? (Lamb)
I was tired of complaining about the terrible situation in Nigeria and wanted to be part of the solution. When I conceived the initiative, no one was speaking up about the thousands of people rotting in prison across Nigeria. Being a musician, I felt I could help by using my voice and leveraging my personal relationships with entertainers and media platforms- to shine the light on the true situation in prisons. To date, we have gotten freedom for over 130 wrongfully incarcerated / minor offenders across prisons in Nigeria.
In what ways do you feel the prison/corrections systems are outdated? (Lamb)
They are outdated in so many ways. 80 percent of the correctional facilities in Nigeria are congested with thousands of inmates awaiting trials, due to our slow judiciary system. Most facilities are not equipped with tools to aid in proper reform.
What inspired you to nominate Lamb for the Good Morning America Spotlight? (Ling)
An associate for the show/publication reached out to me asking if I knew of anyone I would like to nominate for their upcoming project/ campaign highlighting Black men and women making a mark in the world today. When they explained that they were looking for a living person, currently doing great works throughout the world- I knew I didn’t need to hear much more. Lamb is a firecracker, but he is humble. His works have been tireless and mostly unnoticed for over the past decade and I knew this was the time for the light to be shown on his incredible efforts in the prison reform movement. I am glad that GMA also saw it fit to honor Lamb in his works as well!
