Internet Memes Help ‘Harambe’ Songs Go Viral, Hit Charts
It has been nearly four months since Harambe, the gorilla from the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, was shot and killed by zoo workers after a child fell in his enclosure on May 28. The shooting…
It has been nearly four months since Harambe, the gorilla from the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, was shot and killed by zoo workers after a child fell in his enclosure on May 28. The shooting led to outrage from animal rights organizations and, oddly enough, an internet meme, inspiring musical acts to sing their condolences and dedicate their music to the gorilla.
Below, we have compiled a sampling of the most popular Harambe-inspired songs.
Deciphering the Idol Worship of Young Thug’s ‘Jeffery’ Tracklist
Young Thug, “Harambe”
On Young Thug’s latest album Jeffery, released Aug. 26, each track is named after one of his “idols,” he wrote on his Instagram — and “Harambe” made the cut. Though Young Thug never mentions Harambe in the song, the title has helped it grow in popularity since its Aug. 25 debut on YouTube. The video has clocked 4 million global views on YouTube since its release.
“Harambe” peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard + Twitter Top Tracks chart dated Sept. 10 and hit No. 1 on the Billboard + Twitter Trending 140 real-time chart in the hours after the song’s release. The song also reached No. 44 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart dated Sept. 17.
Rockie Gold, “Dicks Out for Harambe”
The hip-hop/dance song went viral on YouTube before blowing up on iTunes and Spotify. “Dicks Out for Harambe,” feeding into the internet meme, is No. 1 on the Spotify Viral 50 chart for the second consecutive week and No. 11 on the Spotify Velocity chart (both charts dated Oct. 1).
Dumbfoundead, “Harambe”
The Los Angeles-based rapper’s song “Harambe” is up to 900,000 global YouTube views through Sept. 21. The video features Dumbfoundead (whose real name is Jonathan Park) running through a forest as visions of a gorilla appears.
The lyrics and video imply that social unrest is an underlying theme in the song, as clips of violent clashes with police appear in the video to the tune of “they tryna take me out like Harambe” and “the world is a zoo, you’ve seen in the news.”
The track peaked at No. 2 on the Spotify Viral 50 chart (dated Sept. 24) — behind none other than Rockie Gold’s “Dicks Out for Harambe.”
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