Shake Your Dreads — Split image comparing a guinea pig with braided-looking fur to a young man with dreadlocks

Shake Your Dreads

2023catchphrasesemi-active

Published August 15, 2026

Shake Your Dreads is a catchphrase and TikTok sound built around the Nonchalant Dreadhead archetype, tied to Sexyy Red's late 2023 song 'Shake Yo Dreads'1. The phrase caught fire again in 2024 through a viral POV skit and had a second wave of use in 20253.

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Overview

Shake Your Dreads, also written Shake Yo Dreads, is a catchphrase tied to the Nonchalant Dreadhead archetype, the idea of a dreaded guy tossing his locs to look effortlessly cool in front of women3. The phrase is pulled directly from a Sexyy Red song of the same name and got most of its traction as a TikTok sound1.

The track was framed by Genius as being about self-assurance and individuality, and its hook essentially begs a dread-headed listener to shake their hair on beat2. That built-in call to action is what turned the audio into a template rather than just a song, with users pointing the camera at their own dreads and letting the drop do the work1.

Origin & Background

Platform
Streaming / YouTube (song release), TikTok (viral spread)
Creator
Sexyy Red
Date
2023

Sexyy Red first previewed 'Shake Yo Dreads' during an Instagram Live on September 5th, 2023, then released the full track to streaming platforms on September 23rd, 20232. Three days later, on September 26th, she uploaded the official music video to YouTube, which pulled in over 8.2 million views over the next two years1.

Around the same time, on September 24th, Sexyy Red posted a TikTok using the sound herself, and that clip alone racked up more than 1.7 million likes over two years, giving the audio an early push on the app3.

How It Spread

The sound took off almost immediately on TikTok in fall 2023. On September 23rd, 2023, @jaytovxn_ used the song for a haircut reveal, letting freshly cut dreads fall off to show a new style, earning over 1.8 million likes over two years3. On November 2nd, @kinglouis713 posted a clip of himself swinging unusually long dreads to the beat, which pulled more than 736,700 likes3.

A second life came in 2024 through a spinoff skit. On May 28th, 2024, TikToker @breazy2funny posted 'POV: Life of a nonchalant dreadhead,' in which he tells a group of women, 'Ladies, I'm trying to do my work today,' as they try to get him to shake his dreads. The video collected over 717,900 likes in a year, and its own audio became a separate TikTok sound3.

Use of both audios kept surfacing into 2025. On January 28th, 2025, @animallover.zx123 posted a guinea pig with dreads set to the Sexyy Red track, which gained over 67,600 likes in four months3. On March 26th, 2025, @ratprincess149 used the @breazy2funny audio over a bit about One Piece's Luffy, pulling over 326,200 likes in two months3.

How to Use This Meme

The format typically pairs the Sexyy Red drop, or the @breazy2funny 'Ladies, I'm trying to do my work today' audio, with a visual payoff involving dreadlocks. Common conventions include revealing a new haircut, showing off unusually long or unusually placed dreads (pets, cartoon characters, dolls), or playing the nonchalant dreadhead who refuses to shake on command.

Frequently Asked Questions