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.
Never has modern society been so complex.
Lil B’s entire Discography [all decade]
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.
Hits like Ain’t Nobody Got Time For That (2012), Cash Me Outside (2017), Hide Your Kids Hide Your Wife (2010) spread like wildfire.
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.
We never thought such a thing possible.
Pink Guy’s entire discography [2012-2017]
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.
Some famous Rick Rolls include the Nancy Pelosi Rick Roll and my personal fave the RickRolling of the Westboro Baptist Church by the Foo Fighters. The lyrics have even been memed with links on Twitter to the “most important Wikileaks document.”
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.
Them: Do you believe in God??
Me: pic.twitter.com/MtBhyLcyDf
— 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.