The Real Story Behind 12 Popular Internet Memes
Do you remember the first internet meme you’ve ever seen? Or better yet, do you remember the first one you’ve ever shared?
Memes are everywhere: on all the social media platforms, on our cell phones…We use them to quickly communicate all types of feelings, and we share the ones we find hilarious.
Some of the faces in these pictures and videos memes have become so familiar, we would probably recognize them in the street.
You’re probably curious about the the stories and the people behind the memes. So, read on to find out where these 12 memes come from.
Page Contents
1. Cardi B in 50 years – Mayor Allison Madison
In April 2017, Allison Madison was elected as the first black and first woman mayor of Mound City, Illinois.
She gave an interview to KVFS’ Derrion Henderson. A screen capture of the interview’s video quickly went viral online when it was published with the caption “Cardi B in 50 years”.
In 2019, Mayor Allison Madison spoke with BET about her experience going viral. She had a very positive opinion about the whole situation. She also talked about the things that she and Cardi B have in common.
2. Ghanaian dancing coffin pallbearers
In Ghana, some families use the services of dancing pallbearers to “lift the mood” during funerals. Over the years, several videos showing their dance moves have been uploaded to the internet.
For example, in July 2017, BBC published a video report about Ghanaian dancing funeral pallbearers.
In 2020, people started sharing videos that combined clips of the Ghanaian pallbearers with clips of people in various precarious situations. According to KnowYourMeme.com, this trend started in February 2020 when a TikTok user uploaded a video combining Ghanaian pallbearers with the clip of a skier falling. You can watch that original video below.
@lawyer_ggmu ##fyp ###foryou ##follow ##global
♬ original sound – khvichagogava
Soon, more versions of the video combo were uploaded to TikTok and started spreading to other social media.The background music in many of the videos is a remix of the song “Astronomia” by Vicetone and Tony Igy.
The Nana Otafrija Pallbearing Services founded by Benjamin Aidoo is now famous around the world because of this meme.
3. #SquatBae – Kalin Elisa
Kalin Elisa is from Georgia. In 2018, she went out with friends for a baby shower. They took pictures for Instagram outside of a restautant. One of Kalin’s pictures went viral because of her awkward pose and facial expression. Kalin added a caption to the picture that made it even more funny and relatable.
When your knees are crying after you’ve squatted for the gram 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/vrkXszRkI2
— SheaButtaBaby (@Solo_Kalin) March 20, 2018
Very quickly, other people started adding their own funny captions to the picture… And the squat-and-squint meme was born! Watch Kalin explain to BET what led to the famous picture being taken.
4. They had us in the first half
In 2014, Apollos Hester was a football player on his high school team in Texas.
On September 21st, 2014, after his team won a game, Apollos was interviewed by TWC News Austin. He gave a short motivational speech with such enthusiasm that the video went viral.
The video was soon transformed into a photo meme with all kinds of messages attached to it. Quotes from his response were often added to the meme; for example “They had us in the first half, I’m not gonna lie.”
In this 2017 follow-up interview, Apollos Hester credits his positive mindset to his mother.
5. The rent is too damn high – Jimmy McMillan
In 2010, Jimmy McMillan ran for governor of the state of New York for the Rent Is Too Damn High Party. He appeared in a televised debate next to the other candidates for the position.
His all black outfit – including black gloves- and white beard got a lot of attention.The way he introduced himself and his message was hilarious. Video clips of him saying “the rent is too damn high” went viral. Saturday Night Live even made a skit out of the situation.
6. Epic staredown with P Diddy- Elijah Connor
In June 2018, Elijah Connor appeared as a contestant on the reality competition show The Four: Battle For Stardom. The 3 judges on the show were Meghan Trainor, P. Diddy (Sean Combs), and DJ Khaled.
When Elijah came out, he immediately got the attention of the judges and the crowd. His distinctive style and super confident behavior made them expect a great performance.
Unfortunately, the judges thought Elihah didn’t deliver and let him know their disappointment. What followed was one of the most epic staredowns in television history, between P. Diddy and Elijah Connor.
The staredown immediately went viral and all types of funny memes were created from it. A description wouldn’t do justice to this moment. So, it’s best that you watch the whole audition (again) in the video below.
7. Pensive Jake
Solomon Adufah is an artist who was born and raised in Ghana. He is now based in the United States and frequently returns to Africa to volunteer and expose the children to art.
In 2015, Solomon traveled to Ghana with cameraman Carlos Cortes. Carlos took pictures that were later posted to Instagram. One of the pictures was of Jake, a little chubby boy, drawing with a serious look on his face.
The image became very popular and was soon transformed into a meme. Solomon Adufah decided to turn all the attention into funds for Jake’s school and started a GoFundMe page. He was able to raise more than $14,000. Writing about Jake in 2020 makes us wonder how he is doing and where he is now.
8. Surprised Nick Young meme
In 2014, photographer Cassy Athena uploaded to YouTube a video of her day hanging out with Nick Young, the professional basketball player. The video is part of a series called Thru The Lens: (DAY IN THE LIFE) that shows a day in the lives of professional athletes.
At some point, they visit Nick Young’s mom. When the mom says that her son used to be a clown (starts at the 5:30 in the video below), Nick looks at the camera with a funny look on his face. Cassy Athena added to the video some question marks around Nick’s face, and a meme was born.
9. Skeptical 3rd world child
In June 2012, a Reddit user posted a picture of a woman and a child with the title “Make this skeptical kid into a meme, STAT! (took this photo during my medical trip to Uganda this month)”.
According to the BBC, the woman in the picture is Heena Pranav. At the time, she was a medical student who traveled to Uganda to work with a charity. Pranav met the little boy at a market and started playing with him. One of her traveling companions took the picture and later posted it to Reddit.
Within hours of being posted to Reddit, the picture became a meme. The picture and the memes illustrate so many issues about how the Western world views Africa and the corresponding stereotypes. Some of the memes created by Africans highlight those stereotypes.
10. Surprised black man meme: The Wire GIF
You’ve certainly seen this meme before. It’s a GIF created from a scene of the HBO crime drama series, The Wire. This meme is used to express feelings such as surprise and shock.
The famous scene is from the first season of the drama series. The character Roland “Wee-Bey” Brice (portrayed by Hassan Johnson) is surprised to learn the true identity of another character.
A GIF was made of his reaction in 2019 . It spreads to forums and social media. Fast forwards 11 years, and the GIF and images of Wee-Bey’s reaction are still widely used.
11. Conceited meme
Reggie Sergile, aka Conceited, is a rapper and actor. He is known as a battle rapper and cast member of the sketch comedy and improv game show, Nick Cannon Presents: Wild ‘N Out.
A 2013 video shows a battle between Conceited and Jesse James. At some point, Jesse James stumbled on his words. The cameraman caught Conceited reacting with a funny facial expression. A few years later, people started using GIFs and screen captures of Conceited to express different feelings and reactions.
12. Roll Safe tapping his head
#HoodDocumentary is a 2015 British online mockumentary. It was created by Nigerian-British filmmaker and actor Kayode Ewumi and Tyrell Williams.
The series follows RS (AKA Roll Safe), a singer/dancer/actor, portrayed by Kayode Eumi.
In the first episode, he takes a friend to a belated birthday meal. In one of the scenes, RS taps his finger on his head while looking at the camera with a little smile.
A GIF and screen capture from the scene quickly became a meme, first in the UK and then in the rest of the world.
As of 2017, #HoodDocumentary was the highest viewed series on BBC 3 Online. In a TED Talk, Kayode Ewumi talks about the confidence and courage needed to pursue ones’ ambitions.
Now you know the stories behind 12 popular memes. Did any of these stories surprise you?
