What is Certified Hood Classic?

"This Is a Certified Hood Classic" is an audio tag from trap music, originally used by DJ collective Trap-A-Holics, that became a meme when people started layering it over random, non-musical footage for comedic effect[3].

Where did Certified Hood Classic come from?

The phrase originated in the trap music mixtape scene. The earliest known YouTube upload dates to September 1, 2012, posted by user 1kzz, though it was already in use in hip-hop circles before that[3].

What does Certified Hood Classic mean?

In its original context, it's a DJ endorsement declaring a track to be a standout in the genre. As a meme, it's used ironically to "certify" anything, no matter how absurd, as a legendary piece of content[1].

How do you use Certified Hood Classic?

Layer the audio tag over unrelated video footage (the more random the better), or use the phrase as a comment or caption to ironically endorse something as a masterpiece[3].

Is Certified Hood Classic still popular?

The meme saw its biggest spike in 2019 with the trap remix parody trend. While it's no longer at peak usage, the phrase still circulates as a recognizable reference in meme and music communities[3].

Who created the Certified Hood Classic voice tag?

The tag is most closely associated with the Trap-A-Holics DJ collective, though similar tags were used across the trap music scene by various DJs and producers[3].

What is the McLovin connection to Certified Hood Classic?

A 2013 parody video by YouTuber bossonsj claimed that actor Christopher Mintz-Plasse, known for playing McLovin in *Superbad*, was the voice behind the tag. The video earned over 2 million views[3].

How did SiIvaGunner make Certified Hood Classic famous?

SiIvaGunner posted a remix of "We Are Number One" from *LazyTown* incorporating the tag on September 16, 2016. The audio got 2.3 million views, and a video version by Flater hit 8 million[3].

What are the other famous trap DJ tags?

"Damn son, where'd ya find this?" and "Real trap shit" are the two other DJ tags from the same scene that became memes through similar overuse and ironic adoption[3].

What's the difference between the original tag and the meme?

The original is a genuine music industry endorsement played over trap tracks. The meme version strips away the musical context entirely and applies the "certification" to random footage, animals, or everyday sounds for comedic contrast[3][1].

Certified Hood Classic

2012Catchphrase / audio memesemi-active

Also known as: Certified Hood Classic · Hood Classic

"This Is a Certified Hood Classic" is a catchphrase and audio tag from trap music that became a widespread meme through parody videos. Originating as a DJ drop used by Trap-A-Holics and other hip-hop acts in the early 2010s, the phrase took on a second life when creators started slapping it over absurd, unrelated footage to comedic effect. The meme peaked in 2019 as a go-to punchline for ironic "trap remixes" of everyday sounds and situations.

silvagunner memes trap music memes song remix memes parody song memes sound effect memes

Overview

"This Is a Certified Hood Classic" is a vocal drop, a short spoken-word tag that DJs and producers layer over the beginning of a track. In trap music, these tags function like audio watermarks, signaling that a song has been co-signed or hosted by a particular DJ crew. The Trap-A-Holics collective popularized this specific phrase alongside other iconic drops like "Damn son, where'd ya find this?" and "Real trap shit"3.

The meme format is simple: take any video, no matter how mundane or ridiculous, add the "certified hood classic" audio tag, and present it as if it were a hard-hitting trap track. The humor comes from the contrast between the serious hip-hop endorsement and whatever absurd content sits underneath it1.

The exact first use of the "Certified Hood Classic" audio sample in music is unknown, but the earliest documented upload to YouTube came on September 1, 2012, posted by user 1kzz3. The tag was already well-established in the trap mixtape circuit by that point, used by Trap-A-Holics and similar DJ crews who dominated the Southern hip-hop scene.

On January 13, 2013, YouTuber bossonsj uploaded a parody video claiming to reveal the voice behind the iconic drops. The video alleged that Christopher Mintz-Plasse, the actor who played McLovin in the 2007 film *Superbad*, was responsible for the vocal tags. The video pulled in over 2 million views3.

Origin & Background

Platform

YouTube (earliest known upload), trap music mixtapes (original use)

Key People

Trap-A-Holics, 1kzz

Date

2012

How It Spread

The phrase spent its early years as an in-joke among trap music listeners, recognized alongside "Damn son, where'd ya find this?" and "Real trap shit" as the holy trinity of overused DJ tags3.

A major boost came through the SiIvaGunner community. On September 16, 2016, SiIvaGunner posted a remix of "We Are Number One" from *LazyTown* that incorporated the certified hood classic tag, racking up over 2.3 million views. A video version of the same remix uploaded by Flater on November 1, 2016 went even bigger, clearing 8 million views3.

By 2019, the phrase had fully crossed over into standalone meme territory. Creators began producing parody "trap remixes" where mundane or absurd footage got the hood classic treatment. On May 26, 2019, YouTuber David Markey Quinn posted an edit of a man eating lettuce set to the tag, pulling over 15,000 views. On July 17, 2019, Natepoleon's Meme Corner uploaded a compilation of animals sitting still with the sound clip layered on top, earning over 3,500 views3. These videos established the core template: the more random the footage, the funnier the "certification."

On Urban Dictionary, users define the phrase both literally and ironically. One entry describes it as "the highest honor you can be bestowed," while another frames it as music that transcends genre boundaries, describing it as a track anyone would let you play on the aux cord regardless of background1.

Platforms

RedditTwitterTikTokInstagramYouTube

Timeline

2020-01-01

Certified Hood Classic begins gaining traction

2021-01-01

Certified Hood Classic started spreading across social media platforms

2022-01-01

Certified Hood Classic reached mainstream popularity and media coverage

2023-01-01

Brands and companies started using Certified Hood Classic in marketing

View on Google Trends

How to Use This Meme

The format works best when the source material is as far from trap music as possible. Common approaches include:

- Take a clip of something mundane, wholesome, or bizarre (a cat sitting, a child reciting something, nature footage) - Layer the "This is a certified hood classic" audio tag over it, typically at the beginning - Optionally add trap beats, bass boosts, or other hip-hop production elements underneath - Present the final edit with a straight face, as if genuinely endorsing the content as a hood classic

The phrase also works as a standalone comment or caption. Dropping "certified hood classic" under a post signals ironic approval, treating whatever content it's attached to as if it were a legendary mixtape track1.

Create Your Own

Cultural Impact

The meme sits at the intersection of trap music culture and internet remix humor. It helped popularize an entire subgenre of content where creators apply hip-hop production aesthetics to non-musical footage. The "trap remix" format, where animals, infomercials, or everyday sounds get recontextualized as hard-hitting beats, owes a significant debt to the certified hood classic tag as a punchline device.

The SiIvaGunner remix of "We Are Number One" with the tag was one of the channel's most popular uploads, helping bridge the gap between music meme communities and broader internet humor3. The phrase also contributed to the wider mainstream awareness of DJ tags as a comedic element, alongside "Damn son, where'd ya find this?" which followed a similar trajectory from music industry cliché to ironic meme.

Fun Facts

The bossonsj parody video from 2013 jokingly attributed the voice to Christopher Mintz-Plasse (McLovin from *Superbad*), and the video hit over 2 million views on that premise alone3.

The phrase is part of a trio of trap DJ tags that all became memes independently. "Damn son, where'd ya find this?" and "Real trap shit" followed similar paths from overuse to ironic appreciation3.

On Urban Dictionary, one definition simply states that anything with the quote attached "will be a classic," treating the tag as a self-fulfilling prophecy1.

The Flater video version of the SiIvaGunner remix outperformed the original audio by nearly 4x, hitting 8 million views compared to 2.3 million3.

Derivatives & Variations

"Damn Son, Where'd Ya Find This?"

— A closely related DJ tag meme from the same trap music scene, often used alongside or interchangeably with the certified hood classic tag[3].

SiIvaGunner "We Are Number One" remix

— The 2016 mashup that introduced the tag to a much wider audience beyond hip-hop listeners, with over 10 million combined views across uploads[3].

Animal sitting compilations

— A specific subgenre where the tag plays over footage of animals doing nothing, popularized in 2019[3].

Frequently Asked Questions

References (3)

1
Girls in the Hoodencyclopedia
2
Certified Hood Classic - Urban Dictionarydictionary
3
Certified Hood Classic - Know Your Memeencyclopedia