One little tweet was all it took for Popeye’s to get the country ramped up in a frenzy. Going on to sell 203 million in a year, Popeyes Chicken Sandwich captured the zeitgeist.
Previously an underdog in the fast-food game, their sandwich bumped them up a few ranks. Selling 3,582 sandwiches in a single store in one day does not lie.
How the Popeyes Chicken Sandwich came up
Being most popular in Texas, more sandwiches have been sold there than anywhere else!
At its peak, between August 17 and September 1st of 2019, 338,000 online conversations sprung up concerning the ‘wich. It was a fast-food phenomenon like few else.
Without realizing what weight the tweet that launched their popularity to the stars, Popeye’s asks us: “2020 – Y’all good?” And in commemoration of its massive popularity, Popeye’s has started a countdown to 2021 in Times Square.
Popeyes
The message is simple: the rest of this year may be dim, but the sandwiches are still here for our comfort. All of life’s problems can be solved by buying.
For a limited time, those looking to score some of these mysterious famed chicken bites can do so with free delivery! In a time when we can’t crowd stores and fight people in line for their sandwiches, it’s nice we can still get them.
There no shortage of videos online battles breaking out because of the coveted menu item.
The Popeyes Chicken Sandwich is just that hot!
Because word travels fast in the digital age (one might even say instant), other countries have taken an interest. Canada has just recently tested out the chicken sandwiches in their locations.
Likewise, they have been introduced to China. If successful there, Popeyes may very well establish itself as a fast-food empire, rivaling McDonald’s and Wendy’s.
With Brazil voting the sandwich No. 1 on their most popular petition site, Queremos, demand is undeniable!
Are you a fan? Just curious about the hype? Whatever you think, it seems as if the world will forever have a special love for the Popeyes Chicken Sandwich.
The year 2020 is sorely lacking in its 20/20 vision. With disasters around the world, racial justice and police brutality protests, all topped off with a coronavirus pandemic, the year seems to just keep getting worse for some people.
In the US, the year is especially critical due to escalating protests, political tensions, and of course the upcoming election in November. Many people are now realizing the importance of being socially conscious, and for some, it’s even awakened a passionate social and political streak in them.
In one case, a recent Twitter thread from the user @historyofarmani has garnered over 10,000 retweets and an immense amount of replies. While some answers are prompt and concise, others tell emotional stories of heartbreak.
Others point out the flaws in health insurance and the healthcare system…
My mom being diagnosed with brain cancer and eventually dying from it all while working 2 jobs to support/being her primary caretaker while being told healthcare isn’t a human right 🙂 https://t.co/rnXlHkijK7
When my disabled step dad got his entire hippocampus removed in order to get his driver’s license so he could work.
Got his drivers license. Got a state job driving. The fed government sent a letter saying they were taking it back, so he got fired for not being able to drive. https://t.co/ar5OWnhyI3
When my mom told me her boss would secretly put aside the leftover food (the throw-away food) so that he could sneak in after close and bag it up and anonymously donate it to the local soup kitchen so he wouldn’t get in trouble https://t.co/uso0R4MSyt
— definitely the droid you’re looking for (@sadpuppygf) August 6, 2020
it started with taking environmental science 😌🍃 and continued after realizing my parents fed me conservative/nationalistic propaganda my whole life https://t.co/0m0SuqFLMs
No matter what you’re political stance is – left or right, radical or otherwise, the multitude of replies points out many social and political issues in this country. While the US has its massive benefits, it is not a perfect nation. Nowhere in the world is.
While some people may believe it is an act of hatred to criticize one’s home country, it is arguably the complete opposite. There is a key difference between spewing pure hatred and providing constructive criticism on your own country.
Taking the time to critique the shortcomings of a nation isn’t necessarily a sign of hate. On the contrary, it’s arguably a sign that you truly love your country, because you know it can do better.
2020 may not have the 20/20 vision people were hoping for, but tearing each other apart over social and political opinions isn’t going to help. If anything, people now more than ever need to come together, learn to listen, and above all, compromise.
As crazy as this world seems, seems a number of people were saying YES to Ye. But as of Tuesday night, the DONDA don dropped out of the race. So we thought…
It seems at the last stretch, President Kanye managed to get on the Oklahoma ballot according to the state’s election board. Should we be hype?
Mans did have the fire endorsements including Chance the Rapper.
Are u more pro biden or anti ye and why? I get that you’ll want to reply that you’re just tryna “get trump out” but in this hypothetical scenario where you’re replacing Trump, can someone explain why Joe Biden would be better??
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) July 13, 2020
How do you as an individual feel about prison abolition and universal basic housing? And if you’re in favor of those things how important are they in terms of immediacy?
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) July 13, 2020
Ok sprinting down the hill now: I understand the improbability of Ye winning the 46th Presidential seat and I understand that everyone voting for Biden isn’t necessarily doing so enthusiastically. I am for black liberation and do not accept my recent endorsement from Terry Crews
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) July 13, 2020
Lmao I logged in late to this Chance debacle but truly cackling that it took Terry Crews’s co-sign for him to realize he’d lost it. Terry pulled up trynna bond and Chance immediately exited the chat. pic.twitter.com/UjBEaU2LC3
The Chicago rapper seems to realize his friend (another Chicago rapper) may not win. All the same, that has not kept him from supporting Kanye politically.
Many criticized Chance’s responses, as they fear this will siphon votes from the real candidates. It’s his voice and his choice. You may not dig it, but that’s his right.
What Chance’s tweets proved to me is that Kanye really doesn’t have the friends he needs.
Slate writer Joel D. Anderson appears to imply that Kanye is either mismanaged or enabled. With a crowd of “YES” men surrounding him, who will tell him no? Ye is someone who historically hasn’t appreciated the input of others (when he doesn’t agree).
Anderson takes the position that he is rewarded by the public, no matter how crazy he acts. He has drawn the conclusion that with the loss of his mother, he has never acted the same since.
Instead of supporting Kanye to get help, they support his madness. Whatever makes the headlines, right? Still, this timeline sounds very familiar.
Actor Terry Crews was quick to weigh in on Chance’s tweet, which Chance was quick to denounce. This was likely in the wake of a tweet Crews came under fire for when discussing Black Lives Matter.
While well-intentioned, not all took to his message, especially Chance. Others on Twitter believe Crews was trying to cash in on social brownie points.
If you are a child of God, you are my brother and sister. I have family of every race, creed and ideology.
Outside of entertainment, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has endorsed Kanye’s run, as the two appear to be friends. While Elon Musk himself is no stranger to bizarre antics on occasion, this has to be the most far-out he’s gone.
This can simply be written off as a joke, or a friend doing a favor for a friend. However, with as much sway and relevance Musk has, one has to ask how responsible it is to do. A well-respected CEO joking about endorsements could do some actual harm.
Lastly, wife Kim Kardashian-West had a glowing endorsement for her husband. Kim, with 65.7 million Twitter followers, no one can get the message out quite like she can.
While not directly having any quote about it, she did endorse his announcement with an American flag emoji.
While this may be an entertaining story, remember Kanye did manage to nab two percent of the vote. His team tried to get on the ticket late in Florida and South Carolina but did not work out.
But, but he did manage to beat Oklahoma’s state deadline to get on the ballot.
In the last decade, several phenomena have arisen. We’ve gained a lot of technological resources and social media tools but we haven’t always used them for the best reasons.
We may be evolving as a society but there are some things we just need to stop doing ASAP.
This is your 2020 list of things we should leave in the last decade:
Cancel Culture
As much as societal pressures can be a deterrent to certain negative behaviors, sometimes the pitchforks are a bit overkill. Sure you should know certain things are bad an inexcusable but some missteps require education, not alienation.
For instance, let’s avoid canceling kids and teens. They can exhibit terrible behavior but most of the time you can still swoop in, condemn that behavior and make it a teachable moment.
Tearing down fellow women
Ladies this one is for us. In 2020 let’s work on that internalized misogyny. No more shitting on other women (and this includes trans women you Terfs) for their body choices or their life choices.
It’s one thing to disagree and have a discussion about it, it’s another to seek to humiliate one another. So no more “pick me” posts that put down other women and no more victim-blaming.
If you’re tired of men tearing you down, you should be able to look to other fellow women to support you. And white women, make sure your feminism is intersectional and when you’re told it’s not, do better.
Retweet Activism
Don’t get me wrong Social Media Activism is essential to get out the message this day and age. But if all you do is retweet then move on to the next crisis then you’re part of the problem.
We all get desensitized to the slew of horrible things happening around the world. So the best way to make a difference is to start small and start local.
Pick an issue in 2020 and get involved at your local activist organization. If you don’t know where to go, start with your own group of friends and acquaintances. Do some research, get informed and ask them to get together to discuss the issue and what next steps you can take to make a difference.
Glorifying Terrible People
Yeah, we may have already failed a bit with this one so far but we’re getting better. There are WAY fewer people infatuated with the murderous character will in Netflix’s YOU.
Probably thanks to Penn Badgley’s constant reminder that he plays an irredeemable murderer. And so far it seems like the glorification of Trump is limited to the GOP, so good job?
But seriously, glorifying ethically terrible people and justifying it because they’ve accomplished something else that you’d like to achieve is not the wave. That means no more boot-licking on rich people just cause they got the funds.
Self-Sabotage
Mental health and self-care definitely saw a rise during the end of the 2010 decade but there’s still more to do. Whether you need to say no to popping out to events or just get some more rest, do it.
Take care of yourself so that you can have all the resources and health to reach your goals. Create a regular weekly or even daily routine to check in with yourself and check out from the rest of the world for a while. There’s a long decade ahead.
At some point in our adult lives, we all hit a point where we feel like there’s got to be more. Our motivation starts to wane, we get hit with minor bouts of sadness, and we start to lose interest in our hobbies.
While it could be easy to view this as depression, you’re probably just stuck in a rut. However, you may be ambivalent about taking steps to upgrade your life because you’re afraid it will cost too much. After all, nearly 78 percent of workers in the United States live paycheck to paycheck.
Fortunately, where you’ve got problems, we have solutions. Check out our budget-friendly ways to upgrade your life and change things up.
1. Learn How to Travel on a Budget
How can traveling be budget-friendly? The answer is quite simple. Travel, even luxurious travel, doesn’t have to be done through major hotels and first-class plane rides.
If you’re looking to travel to another country, instead of staying at the fanciest resorts that jack up their prices, look for deals with local B and B establishments. In places like Bali where the cost of living is much lower than ours, you can find amazing deals.
2. Create a Budget That Provides Room for Rewards
Next, you can learn how to upgrade your life by putting yourself on a budget. While this may sound like cutting back, it can actually give you more. Most people don’t realize how many unnecessary things they pay for each month.
By cutting back on fast-food, coffee-shop coffee, and memberships/services you rarely use, you can find a lot of extra money in your budget. Set aside some for saving each month and some for luxury shopping for a monthly reward.
3. Save Up for a Cruise
When it comes to living a true life of luxury, nothing beats going on a cruise. However, cruises can be less expensive than you think, especially if you know when to buy your tickets. By monitoring prices and booking ahead, you could even get a great deal on Celebrity Cruise ships.
If you love going to the spa, getting a manicure, pedicure, and a rejuvenating facemask, you know how quickly costs can add up. Instead, buy what you need to do it at home. You could even invite some of your besties over to do it with you.
Spend the day treating yourselves and even go in together on a footbath machine that massages your feet.
5. Start Waking Up Earlier
Finally, if you really want to upgrade your life, start waking up earlier. It sounds overly simplistic, but the truth is, if you wake up even 45 minutes earlier, you could add a lot of value to your life.
For example, you could start your day off on the right foot with a light jog around your neighborhood, some yoga, or even meditation. Waking up and accomplishing something before your day starts will make you feel like a million bucks.
Looking to Upgrade Your Lifestyle?
If you want to upgrade your life, start with small simple tasks and work your way up to the big stuff (like saving for cruises). However, remember too that life is what we make it. Our perception is what shapes our reality.
Nothing has quite shaped an era of communication like memes. Music on the other hand ALWAYS has the power to both reflect and shape society as we know it. So meme music in the last decade has really changed our social media communication game.
This is our incomplete list of music that either became a meme or was originally intentionally created to be a meme.
I’m gonna begin with one of the most consistently meme-making musicians, Lil B aka the BasedGod. Lil B began releasing music as early as 2009 and a decade later he’s still collabing with the current era’s music legends. He features on Mac Miller‘s 2015 album GO:OD AM, on the song “Time Flies.”
He also features on Clams Casino’s “Be Somebody” with A$AP Rocky. But his most notable songs have been iconically outrageous and catchy, the main criteria for any successful meme song. In “Hadouken” Lil B does the entire song as his cat, he’s literally meowing for several minutes.
“Bitch I’m Bill Clinton” is just a long political rant as an effortless freestyle. Other honorable mentions are “Obama BasedGod” and “I Own Swag.” If his Twitter presence is any indication Lil B still has more memorable content to give.
AutoTune Remixes
Let’s take it back to earlier in the decade when AutoTune wasm truly a high form of art. So of course creatives who saw memorable moments go viral created entire songs featuring those moments for the rest of us to enjoy.
Fast. forward to today, Bhad Bhabie has used her viral fame to launch a lucrative music career, Sweet Brown is in several local commercials and you might have seen her in Tyler Perry‘s A Madea Christmas and Antoine Dodson performed at the BET Awards and now works in the school system.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2bVMsNAm5E
It’s Somethin About You Girl by ICEJJFISH [2014]
The 2014 R&B parody features ICEJJFISH with powerful vocal representation for young teen boy’s cracking voices. ICEJJFISH shows up on a Loiter Squad skit performing “I Just Bought a Bugatti (I’m Happy).”
Why You Always Lyin by Nicholas Fraser [2015]
This one made a splash in 2015. Fraser posted the original video on Vine. It was short and inspired by the NEXT song “Too Close.” After the insane viral response, Fraser made a longer version and posted it on YoutTube.
His music career took off from there. According to a 2018 interview with BET Nicholas Fraser says he’s still making music. We wanna know why that toilet is still outside tho.
The 7th Element by Vitas [2015]
The psychedelic sound and weird space sci-fi visuals of the song is what captured memeologists. The iconic moment where the vocalist begins to climb octaves, in what some call a “turkey call”, is what made the song go viral.
The video was almost like a legend with an extensive search of it’s origin happening online for months. Vitas is a Russian artist known for his unique falsetto.
He possesses a seven-octave vocal range that he’s showing off in the viral video. The video aired in 2001 and saw its meme career begin on Reddit in 2015.
Black Beatles by Rae Sremmurd [2016]
The song “Black Beatles” by Rae Sremmurd became a meme with a viral challenge. The Mannequin challenge required that participants stay mannequin still while a videographer filmed the entire room before the bass drop.
Arguably the most iconic Mannequin Challenge was the one at a Rae Sremmurd concert where the entire audience was participating flawlessly.
Pink Guy is the figure who is directly responsible for Bauer’s HARLEM SHAKE going to No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100, through a dance craze in 2012. The artist also created an entire album called “Pink Season.”
The figure known as Pink Guy is one of George Kusunoki Miller’s many comedic characters on his YouTube channel where he regularly plays the main character, Filthy Frank.
Pink Guy’s music is specifically made for low-brow comedy. The album reached number 1 on the comedy chart and top 10 in hip-hop with tracks like “STFU.”
Since then Miller goes by Joji and has a thriving music career with his last album Ballads 1 in 2018 reaching No. 1 on Billboard’s Top R&B and hip-hop chart. Joji releases music through 88rising Records a collaborative record company with other big artists like Rich Brian.
Wendy’s We Beefin? Mixtape [2017]
This mixtape with unidentified female rapper dissing McDonalds and WingStop was actually pretty hard for a PR stunt.
The music was well received and bumped throughout the land of drive-throughs and mall parking lots. We Beefin? was made for the meme age and has so far lasted the test of time.
MOOO! by Doja Cat [2018]
Doja Cat was already releasing music regularly when she went viral with what she describes as meme music.
“MOOO!” blew up in 2018 as just that, a meme song. Several people dressed up as sexy cows for Halloween that year and since then Doja has climbed billboard charts with regular new releases including “Tia & Tamera” featuring Rico Nasty and “Juicy.”
She still gets comments on her music videos referring back to “MOOO!.” The original “MOO!” has over 60 million views and still slaps.
Shooting Stars by Bag Raiders [2015-present]
The Bag Raiders didn’t know that their 2009 song would become so entrenched in meme culture nearly five years later. The song resurfaced as background music for psychedelic edits.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFGb_3jqFE8
Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley [all decade]
This song became a meme early in the decade and lasted all throughout. And if you’ve clicked on some of the links in this article you will have definitely experienced what is aptly called Rick Rolling.
The link takes you to a document with lyrics such as “Chorus: Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you.”
Jesus is the One (I Got Depression) Zack Fox & Kenny Beats [2019]
The banger was originally born on Kenny Beats’ The Cave YouTube series. His Moto of “Don’t Over Think Shit” helped create Zack Fox’s arguably most well-known song.
Jesus is the One (I Got Depression) was so popular it was made into several memes on IG and Twitter. The song was both originally made as a joke but the meme-universe took it to a whole other level.
Zack Fox also created more memeable songs with Kenny Beats like “Square Up.” Jesus is the One doesn’t have a music video but you can still watch the original episode where it was made.
— IG: @lavishlifedonb 🦋 (@lavishlifedonb) June 6, 2019
645AK [2019]
Ever wondered what a song made by a gangsta Mickey Mouse would sound like? You’re welcome, wonder no more. 645AR makes music in this specific vein. The lyrics are your typical recognizable gangsta rap content.
The delivery is where the meme comes in.
Rei Ami [2019]
Before the decade ends we also have some new meme music blowing up. Rei Ami’s music juxtaposes her at times biting vocals at others soft slow-jam voice with memorable video.
Her original music video for “Tripping Toddlers” places clips of the show Rugrats as the center visuals for the song. Since then Rei Ami releases music with nostalgic meme visuals in mind, and it’s working.
Her song “The Dictator” scored the top spot on Spotify’s anti-pop playlist and earned her a fan in Billie Eilish.
If you ever need a quick laugh or cringe come back to this list. It will never let you down.
