A Guide to Children’s Culture for Out-of-Touch Adults: What Is “BBL Drizzy”?
The rap war between Kendrick Lamar and Drake appears to be over. Winner by unanimous decision: Kendrick Lamar. But this beef is so culturally pervasive that even minor drama is going viral this week. Let me explain this to you. I’ll also talk about the Block Party campaign, whether you should put pickles in Dr. Pepper, and introduce you to my favorite new phrase: “It’s ass poop.”
What is “BBL Drizzy”?
This week’s viral videos are the thousands of versions of the song “BBL Drizzy” exploding all over social media. Let me explain: In one of the open salvos of the war between Drake and Kendrick, Drake released the track ” Push Ups ,” where he told Kendrick’s partner Metro Boomin’ to “shut up, asshole, and play the drums.” So last week, Metro took him up on his offer and released a track called “BBL Drizzy,” a remix of King Villonia’s song. “The “BBL” part of the title refers to Drake allegedly having Brazilian butt lift surgery. In any case, Metro removed the copyright on the song and told the public that it would give away $10,000 to whoever wrote the best verse for the track. The whole thing went viral and literally the whole world started making songs attacking Drake. Subway started giving out free beats and saying, “I’ll pay you to beat that dead horse over there.”
Here are just a few of the highlights from tens of thousands of versions of BBL Drizzy:
If you have any doubt about who won the Great Rap War of 2024, Drake is being insulted with a harp there.
Does Kendrick and Drake’s feud encourage literacy?
All wars have unintended consequences, and this one could lead to increased literacy. At least that’s what Ms. S. , a teacher with a TikTok account, says. In a recent video, she said, “I have students who hate reading and they read these texts in the most thorough, attentive manner I have ever seen. They find subtle quadruple meanings and explain them eloquently to their peers.”
Why is “Blockout 2024” trending?
Earlier this week, TikTok userblockout2024 posted this video suggesting that celebrities would lose money if people blocked them on social media. In a subsequent video, they explain: “When we hate them, they make money. When we praise them, they earn money. But when we block their social media accounts and completely forget their names, they lose it all.”
The trend, also called “Celebrity Party,” has quickly gained popularity on TikTok, Twitter, Instagram and everywhere else. While the initial video appeared to be posted in response to the display of wealth at the Met Gala earlier this week, a larger issue quickly emerged: Some celebrities, blockers believe, are not using their platforms to sufficiently support Palestine in its conflict with Israel. Main targets: Kim Kardashian and Taylor Swift, both fairly centrist, bordering on apolitical.
It’s too early to tell if it works or not, but I’d bet a lot of money on “it doesn’t work.” Internet activism doesn’t have a great track record. People on the Internet tend to overestimate their importance, and the Block Party campaign relies on Taylor Swift fans who care more about Palestine than receiving updates from Swift. Maybe I’m being cynical, but I don’t see this happening in large enough numbers to matter. If even a million followers blocked Taylor Swift because of this campaign, she would have 282 million left. And this isonly on Instagram . Not to mention the specifics of Middle Eastern politics, the whole thing has a #Kony2012 vibe.
Bumble reveals the terrifying future of dating
Whitney Wolfe Herd, CEO of dating site Bumble, revealed the scary potential future of online dating in a recent interview with Bloomberg . Hurd envisions a future in which every user has an AI assistant to help them communicate. You’ll tell your robot deeply personal things, and it will scan every other person’s AI to find a match. “There is a world where your dating concierge can go and set you up on a date with another dating concierge. And then you don’t have to talk to 600 people,” Hurd said.
While I’m generally all for not talking to people, as many have noted online, it’s like an episode of Black Mirror . Not in a general sense, but a specific episode: Season 4, Episode 4 “ Hang the DJ.” »
What happened to Pickle Dr. Pepper?
Weird food trend of the week on TikTok: pickles and Dr. Pepper. This TikTok video by Kayleeh109 has been viewed nearly 3 million times. He advises going to Sonic’s, filling a cup halfway with pickles, adding Dr. Pepper, and then presumably drinking it. My stomach turns crazy thinking about it, but I haven’t tried it, so how can I tell? Judging by the response videos, people are loving it. Mostly people from the south . I’m still not convinced. It could have been an elaborate prank designed to get me to drink something disgusting.
My favorite Gen Z line is: “It’s ass shit.”
Millions of insults are thrown around the internet every day, but sometimes a turn of phrase captures a mood so accurately that it takes on a life of its own. Case in point: “This is ass shit.” Although it was originally used to describe food (that looks like ass crap), the phrase is now used to describe anything bad. A song you don’t like? Shit from the ass. Jerry Seinfeld’s new Netflix movie? Shit from the ass. Do you add pickles to Dr. Pepper? Shit from the ass.