Rise and shine, friends! It's a New Year!
The last class of 90's babies are graduating from high school, we finally get to meet Max and Ruby's parents, and a new president is being sworn into office in the next few weeks! With all these events, 2017 is setting the stage for an interesting and remarkable year.
Even though 2016 may have been a tragic year with many great losses from the music and entertainment industries, it was an interesting and memorable year in terms of social media. Many challenges made the rounds on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. Did you wonder why your mom played that remix of Shirley Caesar's "Hold My Mule" on Thanksgiving? What was the dance your friends were doing where you pretended to run in place? Why did you freeze in place with a pose while Rae Sremmurd's "Black Beatles" was playing and a camera was rolling? Chances are you accepted one of these viral social media challenges. Here are my top 3:
3. I bet every year you ask your mom, grandma, or whoever cooks Thanksgiving dinner, "What are you cooking?" Well, imagine them turn around(cue the music), and lip sync, "Look! I got beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes, ham, ram, hogs, dogs, chicken, turkeys, rabbit, YOU NAME IT!" and then it repeats all over again. You guessed it; it is none other than the U Name It Challenge. The remix was taken from a portion of Shirley Caesar's "Hold My Mule", which was recorded in 1988. This challenge has taken the Internet by storm, with memes popping up and even Chris Brown doing a dance to it! Shirley Caesar was impressed with the remix and its turnout, so much so that she created an online store for her fans! Thanks, Mama Shirley!
2. Sorry, Harlem Shake, but the Running Man Challenge has taken your place. This dance craze began with two young men, Kevin Vincent and Jerry Hall, who were bored in high school finance class(I feel them, I would be too) and decided to have a little fun by dancing to the Ghost Town DJs' 1996 hit, "My Boo". The dance would later be discovered by University of Maryland basketball players Jared Nickens and Jaylen Brantley, who would then create their own version. Since then, this challenge has been taken on by college, NBA, and NFL athletes, celebrities, and even police officers! All four were invited to perform on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and both Vincent and Hall received a $10,000 scholarship for college. Well done, guys, and you didn't have to have a high school transcript, SAT or ACT score, or write a 500-1000 word essay to receive it.
1. Finally, the biggest challenge of 2016. Families, towns, sports teams, and even a lawyer's office took this head on. A camera is rolling, everyone is frozen where they are at, and the beginning of Rae Sremmurd's "Black Beatles" is playing. Another hint: it involves doing nothing but staying frozen in a pose of your choice. Congratulations! You guessed correctly; it is none other than the Mannequin Challenge. This latest Internet craze is believed to have been started by high school students in Jacksonville, Florida, and the world has had an intense obsession since. With its heightening popularity, I don't think this challenge will be going away anytime soon. Like honestly, I think we all need a day where we are frozen and with little else to do.
Happy New Year, and stick to those New Year's Resolutions if you can!
