# Harlem Shake
> Harlem Shake is a 2013 participatory video meme where one masked dancer is ignored until Baauer's trap beat drops, triggering chaotic group eruptions.
The Harlem Shake is a viral video meme from February 2013 built around a simple formula: one masked person dances alone while everyone else ignores them, then the beat drops on Baauer's trap track "Harlem Shake" and the whole room erupts into chaotic dancing. The format spread at a staggering rate, hitting 40,000 video uploads and over 700 million views within two weeks of taking off[5]. The meme pushed Baauer's single to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, forced Billboard to change how it calculates the chart, and even became a political protest tool in Egypt and Tunisia[5].
## Origin
The song "Harlem Shake" was produced by Baauer (real name Harry Rodrigues), a 23-year-old Brooklyn-based beatmaker, and uploaded to YouTube on August 23, 2012[4]. Diplo's Mad Decent record label released it through their sub-label Jeffrees as a free download[6]. The track samples the lyric "do the Harlem Shake" from a 2001 song called "Miller Time" by Philadelphia party rap crew Plastic Little[4].
That lyric has a wild backstory. Plastic Little member Jayson Musson (now known as artist Hennessy Youngman) wrote it after getting into a bloody fight with a rival graffiti writer. After winning the fight, he got up and did the Harlem Shake dance[8]. The lyric was a throwaway line about a real incident, and it sat dormant for over a decade before Baauer sampled it into a trap banger.
On January 30, 2013, YouTube personality George Miller (Filthy Frank) uploaded a compilation video on his DizastaMusic channel. The opening segment showed Miller in his Pink Guy persona and three friends in latex suits dancing to "Harlem Shake" in a bedroom[5]. Miller later told The FADER he wasn't even a Baauer fan: "That was probably the first song I'd heard by Baauer. I'm not really into music like Baauer's, I just thought that song was cool"[8].
On February 2, five teenage longboarders from Caloundra, Australia, calling themselves TheSunnyCoastSkate, replicated Miller's segment and crystallized the format that would go viral: the jump cut, the helmet, the one-to-many structure[10]. That same day, Miller posted the full 36 seconds of his original dance footage as a standalone clip[10].
- **Platform:** YouTube (Filthy Frank's DizastaMusic channel), YouTube (TheSunnyCoastSkate viral replication)
- **Creator:** George "Filthy Frank" Miller (original video), TheSunnyCoastSkate (established viral format), Harry "Baauer" Rodrigues (music producer), Jayson Musson / Plastic Little (sampled lyric)
- **Date:** 2013
## Overview
A Harlem Shake video runs about 30 seconds and follows a tight structure. The first half shows one person, usually wearing a helmet or mask, doing a low-key dance while everyone around them acts completely oblivious. When the bass drops in Baauer's track, the video jump-cuts to the entire group losing their minds in the most ridiculous ways possible: costumes, props, minimal clothing, flailing limbs[5]. The video typically ends with a slow-motion shot timed to a beast-like growl in the song[5].
The format worked because it was dead simple to make. One locked camera shot, one jump cut, 30 seconds total. No editing skills required. But within that rigid template, people had enormous creative freedom in choosing their setting, costumes, and dance moves[9]. TechCrunch called it a "Symbiotic Meme," where the formula invited infinite remixing while funneling attention back to the original versions[9].
Despite the name, nobody in these videos actually does the real Harlem Shake, a hip-hop dance from 1980s Harlem, New York that involves popping the shoulders alternately[4]. The disconnect between the meme's name and the actual dance became a source of friction with Harlem residents[8].
## How It Spread
The meme's early spread was modest. Through February 6, the five existing Harlem Shake videos (three from Miller, two from imitators) had only a few hundred thousand views combined[10]. Then things accelerated fast.
On February 7, Maker Studios employee Vernon Shaw spotted the longboarders' video on Reddit and saw it as "pre-viral"[10]. Maker employee Rawn Erickson uploaded an office edition that the company promoted across its YouTube channels and Twitter[10]. At the same time, electronic dance music blogger "EDM Snob" tweeted one of the first references to the meme, and Baauer, Diplo, Mad Decent, Major Lazer, and Flosstradamus all began pushing the Australian video through their social accounts[10].
The Atlantic's Kevin Ashton later argued this was the real ignition point. Six Twitter accounts tied to the music industry drove the initial surge of views on February 7-8, turning what had been an organic trickle into a commercial firehose[10].
By February 10, the upload rate hit 4,000 new Harlem Shake videos per day, roughly one every 21.6 seconds[5]. YouTube trends manager Kevin Allocca reported 12,000 videos and 44 million views by February 11[2]. By February 15, the count had ballooned to 40,000 videos with over 700 million total views[5]. The Maker Studios office version helped push the trend beyond college dorms. As Allocca noted, it "helped signal that the trend was something any organization or office could be a part of"[2].
Major media companies piled on. BuzzFeed, CollegeHumor, Vimeo, and Facebook all produced their own versions[4]. Jimmy Fallon's Late Night, the Today show, and Ryan Seacrest joined in[6]. Musicians Matt and Kim organized what became the Guinness World Record for the largest Harlem Shake, with 3,444 participants at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on February 11, 2013[5].
## How to Use
The format typically follows this pattern:
1. Set up a camera in a fixed position, pointing at a group of people going about normal activities
2. One person (often wearing a helmet, mask, or costume) starts dancing alone while everyone else ignores them
3. This goes for about 15 seconds, through the song's intro
4. When the bass drops, cut to the same group now going absolutely wild: costumes, props, minimal clothing, bizarre dance moves
5. The chaos lasts another 15 seconds
6. Optionally end with slow motion on the final growl sound
## Cultural Impact
The Harlem Shake forced a structural change in how the music industry measures hits. Billboard's decision to incorporate YouTube streaming data into the Hot 100, accelerated by the meme, permanently altered how chart positions are calculated[5]. This meant viral moments could directly translate into chart-topping songs, a shift that shaped the music industry for years afterward.
Google searches for "Harlem Shake" surged faster than any term in Google's history at the time, second only to "Whitney Houston" after her death[10]. The meme's commercial structure also drew scrutiny. The Atlantic's Kevin Ashton argued the whole thing was less grassroots than it appeared, with Mad Decent, Maker Studios, and YouTube's Content ID system turning user creativity into corporate revenue[10]. MSN Money went further, calling it "one big Google commercial" where "Americans forwarded 'Harlem Shake' around" while Google, Time Warner, and Mad Decent collected the ad money[14].
The meme's name sparked a cultural conversation about appropriation. Harlem residents reacted with confusion and frustration that the videos had nothing to do with the actual Harlem Shake dance. Actor Chris McGuire screened the viral videos on 125th Street in Harlem, and the general consensus from passersby was blunt: "That's not the shake, B"[8].
The original Harlem Shake dance dates to 1981 and was created by a Harlem resident known as "Al B," who said he was mimicking the shakes of alcoholics[8]. The dance was first called "the albee" before becoming known as the Harlem Shake as it spread beyond the neighborhood[8].
The trap music genre benefited massively from the exposure. The Atlantic predicted the meme would carry trap from niche EDM subgenre to mainstream awareness, and that prediction largely held[1]. Artists like Flosstradamus, TNGHT, RL Grime, and UZ all gained broader audiences in the meme's wake[1].
## Fun Facts
- Filthy Frank, who started the whole thing, said it was "probably the video I put the least amount of work into" and that his existing fanbase was actually upset about him going viral[8].
- The sampled lyric "do the Harlem Shake" originated from a real fistfight. Jayson Musson of Plastic Little got into a brawl with a rival graffiti writer and celebrated by doing the dance[8].
- Baauer kept a remarkably low profile during the explosion. He didn't even have a Twitter account, and the most-viewed clip of his song was a user upload, not his official channel[6].
- Mad Decent's strategy of giving the song away for free in May 2012 was an intentional move to build organic demand before charging for downloads[6].
- Al B, credited with inventing the original 1981 Harlem Shake dance, claimed its roots were ancient: "That's what the mummies used to do. They was all wrapped up and taped up. So they couldn't really move, all they could do was shake"[8].
## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is the Harlem Shake meme?
The Harlem Shake is a viral video format from February 2013 where one masked person dances alone while others ignore them, then the entire group explodes into chaotic dancing when the bass drops in Baauer's track "Harlem Shake"[5].
### Where did the Harlem Shake meme come from?
YouTube personality Filthy Frank (George Miller) posted the original segment on January 30, 2013, on his DizastaMusic channel. Five Australian teenagers called TheSunnyCoastSkate then replicated and refined the format on February 2[10].
### What does the Harlem Shake meme mean?
The videos play on the contrast between calm indifference and sudden, unhinged chaos. They don't reference the actual Harlem Shake dance from 1980s New York[4].
### How do you use the Harlem Shake format?
Film one person dancing alone for 15 seconds while others ignore them, then jump-cut to the whole group going wild for the remaining 15 seconds of Baauer's track[9].
### Is the Harlem Shake meme still popular?
The meme peaked in February-March 2013, hitting 1 billion views in 40 days. It burned out quickly and is no longer actively produced, though it briefly resurfaced in 2017 through the FCC controversy[5][13].
### Who created the Harlem Shake meme?
Filthy Frank (George Miller) created the original video, TheSunnyCoastSkate established the viral format, and Maker Studios' office edition helped push it mainstream[10].
### Who made the Harlem Shake song?
Brooklyn producer Baauer (Harry Rodrigues) created the track, released through Diplo's Mad Decent label in 2012. It samples Plastic Little's 2001 song "Miller Time"[6].
### Why is it called the Harlem Shake if nobody does the real dance?
The name comes from Baauer's song title, which samples a lyric about the actual Harlem Shake dance. The meme videos feature random chaotic dancing, not the shoulder-popping move from 1980s Harlem[8].
### How fast did the Harlem Shake spread?
By February 10, 2013, uploads hit 4,000 per day. By February 15, there were 40,000 videos with over 700 million views. It reached 1 billion views on March 24, just 40 days after the first upload[5].
### Did the Harlem Shake change the Billboard charts?
Yes. Billboard accelerated its plan to incorporate YouTube views into the Hot 100, and "Harlem Shake" debuted at #1 under the new rules on February 21, 2013. Without the change, it would have debuted around #15[5].
### Was the Harlem Shake really organic or was it manufactured?
The Atlantic's Kevin Ashton argued it was heavily driven by commercial interests. Six Twitter accounts tied to the EDM industry drove the initial viral surge, and YouTube's Content ID let Mad Decent monetize thousands of user uploads automatically[10].
### Why were people arrested for doing the Harlem Shake?
Four Egyptian students were arrested for filming a semi-nude version in Cairo, violating Egypt's strict public indecency laws. An angry crowd attempted to assault them before police intervened[7].
### What happened with the FCC Harlem Shake video?
In December 2017, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai used the song without permission in a net neutrality video. Baauer publicly condemned it and threatened legal action. The FCC denied a FOIA request about the video's creation[13][12].
### Did the Harlem Shake make money?
Yes. Through YouTube's Content ID and INDmusic, Mad Decent monetized thousands of user-uploaded videos. The single also reached #1 on iTunes and #1 on the Billboard Hot 100[6].
## References
1. [This 'Harlem Shake' Meme Is About to Make a Cult Music Genre a Very Big Deal - The Atlantic]()
2. [YouTube: Here's How 'Harlem Shake' Went Viral | Mashable]()
3. [Egyptian protestors trade ‘Harlem Shake’ taunts with Islamist regime | The Verge]()
4. [Harlem Shake - Know Your Meme]()
5. [Harlem Shake (meme)]()
6. [Harlem Shake - Urban Dictionary]()
7. [Harlem Shake - Wikipedia]()
8. [Have You Done A Harlem Shake Video Yet?]()
9. [YouTube Trends: The Harlem Shake Has Exploded (Updated)]()
10. [WATCH: Norwegian Lads Film Naked Videos To Promote Tourism - Queerty]()
11. ['Harlem Shake': The Making and Monetizing of Baauer's Viral Hit]()
12. [Harlem Shake Dance VIDEOS Are Hella Viral, But Why? | HuffPost Entertainment]()
13. ["The Harlem Shake" is a ridiculous trend (and we love it) - CBS News]()
14. [WATCH: Egyptian Students Arrested over ‘Harlem Shake’ Video | TIME.com]()
15. [Naked Norwegians Hump National Landmarks to Boost Tourism | Out.com]()
16. [FADER Explains: Harlem Shake | The FADER]()
17. [The Science Behind Why The Harlem Shake Is So Popular | TechCrunch]()
18. [AFP: Four arrested in Egypt for 'Harlem Shake']()
19. [How Memes Are Orchestrated by the Man - The Atlantic]()
20. [This 'Harlem Shake' Meme Is About to Make a Cult Music Genre a Very Big Deal - The Atlantic]()
21. ['Harlem Shake' Becomes Middle East Protest Anthem | Mashable]()
22. [YouTube: Here's How 'Harlem Shake' Went Viral | Mashable]()
23. [You didn’t make the Harlem Shake go viral—corporations did]()
24. [Introducing the Hilarious and Completely Baffling Harlem Shake Meme - BroBible.com]()
25. [FCC blocks reveal of emails about conservative news site's 'Harlem Shake' net neutrality video]()
26. [Baauer 'Taking Action' Against FCC Over 'Harlem Shake' Net Neutrality Repeal Video | Billboard]()
27. ['Harlem Shake' was one big Google commercial- MSN Money]()
28. [Harlem Shake Sweeps Tunis; Education Minister Launches Investigation - Tunisia Live]()
---
Source: https://meme.com/memes/harlem-shake
Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library