THE BEST OF TIKTOK, WEEK OF 4/23
by J. Simpson
4/20/21
Welcome to another week of We Are: The Guard's best of TikTok. There was a lot of great stuff posted to TikTok this last week, as spring continues to spring into flowering life and the world begins to re-emerge from the Coronavirus hibernation.
Here's this week's Best of TikTok!
BIA - WHOLE LOTTA MONEY
It's all well and good to go to social media for motivation, positive affirmations, even just high weirdness or escapism. But let's be real, a lot of why we got into social media in the first place is just to see rich, pretty people doin' stuff.
This week, Bia's "Whole Lotta Money" has been serving as a porthole to the lifestyles of the rich and famous, showcasing skaters longboarding on the beach at sunset, putting on lipstick in a Lexus window, vacationing in Tulum. Ya know, normal relatable content… For those who put on diamonds just to go to the bodega.
DOJA CAT - KISS ME MORE (FEAT. SZA)
The internet lost its collective mind over the sheer hotness and fabulousness of Doja Cat dueting with the one and only Sza when "Kiss Me More" dropped. It looks to be this year's "Hot Girl Summer" but this year, everyone can play!
This week, people are turning to TikTok to create odes to the things they love to a soundtrack of "Kiss Me More," which includes warm lubel, inflatable Cadillacs, and boys with dreads.
DUA LIPA - LEVITATING (FEAT. DABABY)
The lines between social media and official releases gets ever thinner as stars turn to networks like TikTok to not only drop major releases but even to crowdsource ideas and content. As we saw with Dua Lipa, who dropped "Levitating" towards the end of last year, asking her fans to get down and create content for its solid gold 70s grooves.
Fans did not disappoint, rolling out their frankly incredible skills. It got a mind-blowing three billion views, showing people at their best, brightest, and most beautiful. It's enough to restore hope in humanity!
MICHAEL JACKSON - BAD
What could the world have been like had Michael Jackson had a smartphone and social media? You just know MJ would've been busting out the craziest dance moves and stunts for his followers. This week, MJ fans have been picking up in his stead, posting videos of themselves busting out their best moves to "Bad." The challenge is to cut to a slow-motion freeze frame of "Bad"'s iconic moonwalking cover, to stunning results. Y'all're bad!
VOIDOID - BIG LITTLE LIES
Taxi driver has had enough of her #biglittlelies #reesewitherspoon #nicolekidman #goodgirls #theundoing
Life becomes your own private docudrama when you set it to music. Of course, theme music is particularly well-suited for this. This week, TikTokkers have been using the folksy theme song for Big Little Lies to create their own white suburban melodramas, some of which are particularly hilarious. Check out @nicholas_flannery's especially hilarious "rich white lady" series. We don't know where your home is, lady!
LUDACRIS - MY CHICK BAD
Here's one for the ladies who do it all. This week, people on TikTok have been showcasing their eclecticism to Ludacris' laundry list of almost contradictory urges. "My chick bad/my chick good/my chick do things your chick wish she could." The challenge was accepted as TikTokkers rose to the occasion, showing their talents and their style.
Some of y'all are a little too talented!
TWISTA - HOPE
Let's round out the week with a little bit of hope... sort of. This week, people are showcasing their positive affirmations, happy outcomes, and self-deprecating sarcastic moments to Twista's gospel-tinged "Hope," with some extra heavenly heat from Faith Evans. You know what they say, "When there's life there's hope." And we all have a lot to hope for as we round the bend and re-emerge into life.
That about does it for another week of viral hits on TikTok! Remember to follow We Are: The Guard for behind-the-scenes glimpses, excerpts from our playlists, and general Guard goodness. See you next week!
J. Simpson occupies the intersection between criticism, creativity, and academia. Based out of Portland, Or., he is the author of Forestpunk, an online journal/brand studying the traces of horror, supernatural, and the occult through music, fashion and culture. He plays in the dreamfolk band Meta-Pinnacle with his partner Lily H. Valentine, with whom he also co-founded Bitstar Productions, a visual arts collective focused on elevating Pop Culture to High Art.