# Doing Numbers 'Doing Numbers' is a Southern rap slang expression meaning something is objectively performing well by measurable results, like an album moving units or a tweet gaining likes[1]. The phrase traces back to late-2000s rap and got a formal Urban Dictionary entry in March 2011[2]. By late 2020, an unkempt-man reaction image captioned with the phrase was being posted ironically under tweets with low engagement[3]. ## Origin Hip hop lyrics used 'doing numbers' to brag about sales well before the expression reached social media. American rapper OJ da Juiceman's 2009 track '50 Bricks' is one of the earliest documented uses, with the phrase referring to drug sales instead of record units[1]. On March 6, 2011, Urban Dictionary user maroontiger added a definition for 'do numbers,' describing it as forum slang used to 'predict, celebrate or ridicule the performance of an album that just hit the market'[2]. Several rap tracks titled 'Doing Numbers' followed, including J Money's 2013 song and DUBBX's 2014 release[6]. Young Thug's song 'Numbers,' released April 17, 2015 as the penultimate track on his Barter 6 mixtape, helped carry the expression into wider Twitter use that year[4]. - **Platform:** Hip hop lyrics / Twitter (viral spread) - **Creator:** Unknown - **Date:** 2009 ## Overview Online, 'doing numbers' operates in two registers. Earnest use celebrates genuine performance, like a track charting or a video gaining millions of views, while the sarcastic register flips it onto a post with two likes and no retweets. A common convention has Twitter users replying to their own viral tweet with 'this is doing numbers,' often attached to self-promotion[2]. A reaction image version uses an edit of the Wow, This Is Literally Me character, redrawn as an unkempt bespectacled man thinking 'this is doing numbers' over a modest engagement count[3]. People post it under tweets with low numbers to call out the gap, and sometimes under genuinely viral ones for the opposite effect. Redrawn copies and edits for Reddit and iFunny circulated after the Twitter version caught on. ## How to Use Users typically caption a screenshot or quote-tweet of a post with 'this is doing numbers,' either to brag about genuine engagement or to joke about a flop. The reaction image version is often attached as a reply under one's own tweet when it is clearly not doing numbers, with the unkempt man thinking the words while staring at single-digit likes[3]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Doing Numbers? Doing Numbers is a slang expression meaning something is objectively performing well, like a video getting millions of views, a song gaining listens, or a tweet earning likes[1]. ### Where did Doing Numbers come from? The expression comes from late-2000s Southern hip hop, with OJ da Juiceman's 2009 track '50 Bricks' as one of the earliest documented uses in lyrics[1]. Urban Dictionary user maroontiger added a definition for 'do numbers' on March 6, 2011[2]. ### What does Doing Numbers mean? It means something is selling or performing well by measurable results, originally about album units and later about social media engagement[2]. On Twitter it is often used sarcastically about posts that are not actually performing well[3]. ### How do you use Doing Numbers? People caption a post, screenshot, or self-quote with 'this is doing numbers' either to brag about real engagement or to joke about a flop[3]. The unkempt-man reaction image version became a common way to deliver the sarcastic read. ### Is Doing Numbers still popular? The phrase stayed in regular Twitter use through the late 2010s and gained a dominant visual version with the reaction image documented before October 13, 2020[3]. It is treated as a classic social media catchphrase rather than a current viral format. ## References 1. [https://genius.com/Oj-da-juiceman-50-bricks-lyrics]() 2. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=do%20numbers]() 3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/doing-numbers]() 4. [https://genius.com/Young-thug-numbers-lyrics]() 5. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBbovc2HROc]() 6. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFEbmfE-0ec]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/doing-numbers Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library