Rappers want to be ballers. Ballers want to be rappers. It’s a tale as old as time. The latest meme to hit the sports world melds those two sides in a way only the internet can do.
Social media is ablaze with videos portraying various sporting figures strutting down a catwalk-like stage, swarmed by a deluge of adoring fans.
Take this example, which stars Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag:
Kambwala, Garnizzy and Mainoo kick ball tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/6GKegRBYsh
— Deng™ (@UTDDengv2) April 12, 2024
It doesn’t take long to figure out that such a scene is not real but the result of artificial intelligence software.
Everything else surrounding the meme is shrouded in mystery. Many social media aficionados don’t know that the video, which has amassed millions of views, actually centers Georgia rapper Lil Yachty, a prominent face in the music industry.
With that, here’s what you need to know about Yachty’s latest foray into the sports world — this time via meme.
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Lil Yachty walkout meme original video
The video showcasing Yachty in front of legions of his fans stems from an appearance he made at the 2021 music festival Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash.
A YouTube video of the performance, which hit the virtual streets until June 2022, has amassed 4.5 million views. The sentiment of said clip — that Yachty’s walkout was among the hardest in the history of live music — seemed to be a big hit among fans.
Twitter didn’t take much notice at first. But months after that YouTube video was posted, a meme bubbled up in the social media collective consciousness. Users — including an impressive amount of soccer fans — started using the clip as a way to broadcast their passions in 2023.
lil yachty with the most legendary walk out to concert i’ve ever seen pic.twitter.com/QuKbdQIDff https://t.co/ssW8Zrg2FY
— Wost🐰 (@mosthiphop) June 18, 2023
Lampard walking into Cobham this morning
— Jai McIntosh (@Jai_Mcintosh) April 6, 2023
yamal making his Way to the school after dropping another masterclass pic.twitter.com/3WKmjpvo9Y
— 𝖘 (@notsobann) March 8, 2024
Yachty’s stroll down the catwalk is an increasingly popular reaction across social media platforms. That has dripped into sports as well, with many sporting enthusiasts using the video as a way of bonding, building (online) communities and generally expressing themselves. That has to be where the story ends, surely.
Not exactly. In April 2024, X user AI Wrapper posted a mashup of the Yachty clip. But Yachty was nowhere to be found, replaced by Batman villain The Joker, as played by famed actor Joaquin Phoenix.
The way forward was Viggle AI, software that allows users to manipulate the look of videos and transfer styles across visual barriers.
Viggle AI Experiment 💙
This is an incredible tool for style transfer.
Details and link to Discord below 👇
As always, if you enjoy this content please kindly like and share! pic.twitter.com/1qW8H0MuwX
— A.I.Warper (@AIWarper) April 8, 2024
The application took off like wildfire. In the weeks that followed, the sports world has taken notice, with sporting figures far and wide receiving the Yachty meme treatment. That includes Nikola Jokic, Tom Thibodeau and Roman Reigns, among others.
Nikola Jokic on his way to accept his 3rd MVP award like pic.twitter.com/4DWUb5bzVO
— Per Sources (@PerSources) April 11, 2024
ROMAN MEME 398 : roman with lil yachty’s stage entrance pic.twitter.com/Ydkxccp4NU
— ROMAN REACTION MEMES (@romanreactmemes) April 13, 2024
When you’re up 30 with 7 minutes left so you call Jalen Brunson’s up off the bench pic.twitter.com/ImYtczkNct
— B.W. Carlin (@BaileyCarlin) April 12, 2024
We finally get a Healthy Playoff Embiid🙏 pic.twitter.com/XKBht0ux6n
— CBain (@cbain100) April 14, 2024
Lil Yachty walkout meme song
Although it may be hard to hear, there is a song attached to the Yachty meme. It’s among his most popular tracks, a 2020 banger entitled “Coffin,” which has amassed more than 150 million streams on Spotify since its release on Oct. 23, 2020.
The track is teeming with replay value, fueled by a thumping 808s-driven instrumental and Yachty’s slurred delivery. Although the Georgian has developed a reputation as a more melodic presence in the music industry in the years since its release, it’s little surprise why the masses who filled into the Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash ground back in 2021 felt so compelled to let loose amid Yachty’s croons.
Buddah bless this beat (it’s us, Earl on the beat)Strappin’ the keeper, mm, uh keepin’ the keys on, uhIt’s us, givin’ the keys to the Wock’ to my boysGo, okay, slatt, okay, ‘creteGimme the keys to the coupe, I’ma pull out (brrt)Gimme the keys to the ‘crete, I’ma pull out (‘crete, ‘crete)Gimme the keys to the coupe, I’ma pull out (skrrt)Gimme the keys to the coupe, I’ma (skrrt, uh)Go, I’m gonna talk my shit (yeah)Okay, okay (Concrete Boys), okay
Gimme the keys to the coupe, I’ma pull outGotta wear condoms ’cause I do not pull out (ew)Walk in the spot, fifty deep with the tool outThey know that it us, show out at the cookout (slatt, go)We gettin’ money, don’t care ’bout what they on (us)Finger f— hunnids at home all aloneIn a suit with a stick like Capone (beep)Bo for the Jackson, like shamoneI took the chrome to chrome (shamone)I took his b—, I boned (beezy)I made her leave her phone, yes(Yeah, oh) Who said we ain’t made records? (Go)Rich-ass still eatin’ CheckersStill pull up, double decker (boys)Still control the whole MeccaStill that n—, still (still)I still f— her, I will (will)Might put this b— in my will (will)(Wait, you’re gon’ do what?)You’re trippin’, n—, I’m from, n—) Us, chillF— this b— in the hillsI ain’t even lick her, she wet as a eelEw, n—, I’m just talkin’ (oh my God)Get on these beats and I’m not even rappin’I’m literally flossin’ and walkin’ (walk)Get on these beats that I’m literally walkin’On God, I really be flossin’ (walk)B— in the sheets, hit that b—from the backPut the p— inside of a coffin
