Does your money jiggle jiggle?

The viral rap has been hard to shake off in the past few weeks. Experts credit its popularity to the magic of autotune and repetitive words

If you have not jiggle-jiggled in the past few weeks, then check your Internet connection. Social media trends are hard to miss, especially if it rhymes. My money don’t jiggle jiggle it folds, a rap by BBC documentary filmmaker Louis Theroux, has been making the rounds on social media along with its own dance, with even actor Madhuri Dixit grooving to it.

Originally written and rapped for an episode on Theroux’s documentary, Weird Weekends in 2000, it was resurrected by Theroux himself on a YouTube series on which he appeared as a guest in February this year — a reminder that nothing dies on the Internet. The silly rap is a definite earworm.  What makes it so popular? We ask folks in the music scene to break it down for us.

The Internet loves bizarre
Shanelle Ferreira, vocalist and designer, 19

I think what makes a rap like this so catchy would be the hook of the song as well as the bizarreness of the lyrics. It’s so ‘cringe’ that it makes it brilliant. Content like this can attract much attention on social media because it doesn’t target a niche audience so that a larger number of people can use and remix it. Usually short content, something relatable, or overly dramatic will get views, but it also depends on luck and the algorithm. For this one, the out-of-the-box lyrics and hook contribute to its success.

A catchy hook
Gagandeep Singh aka GD 47, rapper-music producer, 29

Any song needs to have a catchy and repetitive hook line if you want it etched on the listener’s mind. If the words or lines can mirror each other then it’s easier for the listener to memorise. For instance, ‘da-da’, ‘la-la’ — both are short and also repeat themselves; it’s easy to grasp. Also, we gravitate towards what is familiar-sounding and recognisable, and autotune is exactly that. It’s familiar and so it gets readily accepted, consumed and popularised. But is this a formula for writing a catchy rap? Well, you can make a blueprint but at the end of the day, who can say what will go viral or what will not?

Sweet spot tempo
Pearl Raphael, voice-over artist, 25

A rap that gains popularity usually has good recall value due to its simplicity. A basic rhyme scheme with simple words that are easy to remember works well. Some may find fast raps incomprehensible, so finding the sweet spot tempo for all to follow and sing along is key. I like the simple repetition that is used. It gets embedded in your mind because as human beings, our brains are drawn to patterns. As far as gaining popularity on social media is concerned, the algorithms favour trending audios. But also, the silliness of the song is directly proportional to its popularity. This song is my guilty pleasure. The autotuned remix version has become a certified bop. Plus, an upbeat peppy rhythm with a catchy tune is always a good mood booster.

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