This Is Elon Musk

2020Video / Reaction videodeclining
This Is Elon Musk is a 2021 viral video meme featuring British narrator Tony Hirst dramatically introducing CEO Elon Musk with crossed arms set to a Gangsta's Paradise remix.

"This Is Elon Musk" is a dramatic video meme featuring a British narrator (Tony Hirst) introducing Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk with his arms crossed as a remix of Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" plays in the background. The format took off in late 2021 within French Twitter circles before exploding on TikTok in mid-2022, where creators placed the clip beneath other videos to sarcastically frame everyday actions as strokes of genius.

elon musk memesexploitable templatestiktok sound trendsparticipatory video memes

Overview

The meme centers on a short video clip showing Elon Musk standing with his arms crossed, looking contemplative, while a deep British voice dramatically introduces him. The audio uses "180 Million Dollar Dance," a remix of Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" produced by SoundCloud artist Mikael Kun1. The combination of the grandiose narration, the iconic beat, and Musk's confident posture creates an over-the-top "genius reveal" moment. Creators use this clip as a punchline, stacking it beneath another video showing someone doing something clever, absurd, or mundane to comedically suggest that person is on Musk's intellectual level.

On June 13th, 2020, YouTuber monacoroom uploaded a fan-edited tribute video compiling clips of Elon Musk from various interviews, including segments from *60 Minutes*2. The edit paired these clips with Mikael Kun's "180 Million Dollar Dance" remix1, creating a cinematic, emotionally charged montage. Over two years, the YouTube video picked up roughly 2.1 million views and 75,000 likes2.

The specific "This Is Elon Musk" narrator clip that became the meme template was originally sourced from a 2017 National Geographic documentary about Tesla2. Tony Hirst's deep, reverent delivery of the introduction gave the clip its signature dramatic weight. At some point, creators began isolating this clip and pairing it with unrelated content for comedic effect.

Tweets from as early as November 2020 suggest the clip was already circulating on Twitter around that time2, though it had not yet gone viral as a reusable template.

Origin & Background

Platform
YouTube (original edit), Twitter / TikTok (viral spread)
Key People
monacoroom, Tony Hirst, Mikael Kun
Date
2020

On June 13th, 2020, YouTuber monacoroom uploaded a fan-edited tribute video compiling clips of Elon Musk from various interviews, including segments from *60 Minutes*. The edit paired these clips with Mikael Kun's "180 Million Dollar Dance" remix, creating a cinematic, emotionally charged montage. Over two years, the YouTube video picked up roughly 2.1 million views and 75,000 likes.

The specific "This Is Elon Musk" narrator clip that became the meme template was originally sourced from a 2017 National Geographic documentary about Tesla. Tony Hirst's deep, reverent delivery of the introduction gave the clip its signature dramatic weight. At some point, creators began isolating this clip and pairing it with unrelated content for comedic effect.

Tweets from as early as November 2020 suggest the clip was already circulating on Twitter around that time, though it had not yet gone viral as a reusable template.

How It Spread

The meme picked up serious momentum in mid-September 2021, spreading first through French Twitter communities. The earliest confirmed use of the "This Is Elon Musk" video as a meme template was posted on September 21st, 2021, by the French Twitter account repertoire_meme, which earned roughly 82,700 views and 195 likes within a year.

Three days later, on September 24th, 2021, French TikToker sofianeeeeeeeeeee posted their own version of the meme, pulling in around 139,900 plays and 6,400 likes. By January 2022, French TikToker rythmind_official recorded a video recreating the narrator's voice himself, earning about 43,800 likes over eight months.

The format's real breakout on TikTok came in June 2022. On June 8th, TikToker 7.rm4 posted an iteration placing the Elon Musk clip beneath an oddly satisfying DIY invention video, framing the inventor as a genius. That post racked up approximately 32.9 million plays and 1.5 million likes in three months. On July 28th, 2022, TikToker amixedits0 paired the meme with footage of the "Save the Dog" mobile game, earning roughly 15 million plays and 1.1 million likes in two months.

The trend quickly jumped to YouTube as well. On June 21st, 2022, YouTuber DJ Laby uploaded a compilation of "This Is Elon Musk" memes that received about 86,400 views in three months.

How to Use This Meme

The format follows a simple two-part video structure:

1

Top clip: Any video showing someone doing something clever, inventive, or hilariously basic. Popular choices include DIY invention videos, oddly satisfying builds, mobile game footage, or someone making a surprisingly smart everyday decision.

2

Bottom clip: The "This Is Elon Musk" narrator clip with Musk standing arms-crossed and "180 Million Dollar Dance" playing underneath.

Cultural Impact

"This Is Elon Musk" rode a broader wave of video-stacking memes that dominated TikTok in 2021-2022, where creators placed reaction or commentary clips beneath unrelated footage. The format's success in French-language internet communities before crossing into English-speaking spaces made it a notable example of memes spreading across language barriers on TikTok.

The meme also fed into the larger ecosystem of Elon Musk internet culture, where his public persona has been both celebrated and mocked through countless formats. The ironic use of the clip to crown random people as geniuses reflected a growing ambivalence toward tech billionaire worship online.

Fun Facts

The music used in the meme isn't actually the original "Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio but a remix called "180 Million Dollar Dance" by SoundCloud producer Mikael Kun.

The narrator's voice belongs to Tony Hirst, recorded for a 2017 National Geographic documentary about Tesla, three years before the meme emerged.

The meme broke out first in French-speaking internet communities before reaching English-speaking audiences, an unusual reverse of the typical meme diffusion pattern.

The original monacoroom fan edit on YouTube was a sincere tribute to Musk, not intended as comedy. The meme format that followed was largely ironic.

Derivatives & Variations

Voice recreation versions:

Creators like rythmind_official recorded their own dramatic imitations of Tony Hirst's narration, sometimes introducing different people or fictional characters instead of Musk[2].

Compilation videos:

YouTubers such as DJ Laby compiled the best TikTok iterations into longer highlight reels for YouTube audiences[2].

Mobile game pairings:

A popular subgenre paired the meme with footage from mobile puzzle games like "Save the Dog," turning simple game solutions into mock genius moments[2].

Frequently Asked Questions

This Is Elon Musk

2020Video / Reaction videodeclining
This Is Elon Musk is a 2021 viral video meme featuring British narrator Tony Hirst dramatically introducing CEO Elon Musk with crossed arms set to a Gangsta's Paradise remix.

"This Is Elon Musk" is a dramatic video meme featuring a British narrator (Tony Hirst) introducing Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk with his arms crossed as a remix of Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" plays in the background. The format took off in late 2021 within French Twitter circles before exploding on TikTok in mid-2022, where creators placed the clip beneath other videos to sarcastically frame everyday actions as strokes of genius.

elon musk memes exploitable templates tiktok sound trends participatory video memes

Overview

The meme centers on a short video clip showing Elon Musk standing with his arms crossed, looking contemplative, while a deep British voice dramatically introduces him. The audio uses "180 Million Dollar Dance," a remix of Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" produced by SoundCloud artist Mikael Kun. The combination of the grandiose narration, the iconic beat, and Musk's confident posture creates an over-the-top "genius reveal" moment. Creators use this clip as a punchline, stacking it beneath another video showing someone doing something clever, absurd, or mundane to comedically suggest that person is on Musk's intellectual level.

On June 13th, 2020, YouTuber monacoroom uploaded a fan-edited tribute video compiling clips of Elon Musk from various interviews, including segments from *60 Minutes*. The edit paired these clips with Mikael Kun's "180 Million Dollar Dance" remix, creating a cinematic, emotionally charged montage. Over two years, the YouTube video picked up roughly 2.1 million views and 75,000 likes.

The specific "This Is Elon Musk" narrator clip that became the meme template was originally sourced from a 2017 National Geographic documentary about Tesla. Tony Hirst's deep, reverent delivery of the introduction gave the clip its signature dramatic weight. At some point, creators began isolating this clip and pairing it with unrelated content for comedic effect.

Tweets from as early as November 2020 suggest the clip was already circulating on Twitter around that time, though it had not yet gone viral as a reusable template.

Origin & Background

Platform
YouTube (original edit), Twitter / TikTok (viral spread)
Key People
monacoroom, Tony Hirst, Mikael Kun
Date
2020

On June 13th, 2020, YouTuber monacoroom uploaded a fan-edited tribute video compiling clips of Elon Musk from various interviews, including segments from *60 Minutes*. The edit paired these clips with Mikael Kun's "180 Million Dollar Dance" remix, creating a cinematic, emotionally charged montage. Over two years, the YouTube video picked up roughly 2.1 million views and 75,000 likes.

The specific "This Is Elon Musk" narrator clip that became the meme template was originally sourced from a 2017 National Geographic documentary about Tesla. Tony Hirst's deep, reverent delivery of the introduction gave the clip its signature dramatic weight. At some point, creators began isolating this clip and pairing it with unrelated content for comedic effect.

Tweets from as early as November 2020 suggest the clip was already circulating on Twitter around that time, though it had not yet gone viral as a reusable template.

How It Spread

The meme picked up serious momentum in mid-September 2021, spreading first through French Twitter communities. The earliest confirmed use of the "This Is Elon Musk" video as a meme template was posted on September 21st, 2021, by the French Twitter account repertoire_meme, which earned roughly 82,700 views and 195 likes within a year.

Three days later, on September 24th, 2021, French TikToker sofianeeeeeeeeeee posted their own version of the meme, pulling in around 139,900 plays and 6,400 likes. By January 2022, French TikToker rythmind_official recorded a video recreating the narrator's voice himself, earning about 43,800 likes over eight months.

The format's real breakout on TikTok came in June 2022. On June 8th, TikToker 7.rm4 posted an iteration placing the Elon Musk clip beneath an oddly satisfying DIY invention video, framing the inventor as a genius. That post racked up approximately 32.9 million plays and 1.5 million likes in three months. On July 28th, 2022, TikToker amixedits0 paired the meme with footage of the "Save the Dog" mobile game, earning roughly 15 million plays and 1.1 million likes in two months.

The trend quickly jumped to YouTube as well. On June 21st, 2022, YouTuber DJ Laby uploaded a compilation of "This Is Elon Musk" memes that received about 86,400 views in three months.

How to Use This Meme

The format follows a simple two-part video structure:

1

Top clip: Any video showing someone doing something clever, inventive, or hilariously basic. Popular choices include DIY invention videos, oddly satisfying builds, mobile game footage, or someone making a surprisingly smart everyday decision.

2

Bottom clip: The "This Is Elon Musk" narrator clip with Musk standing arms-crossed and "180 Million Dollar Dance" playing underneath.

Cultural Impact

"This Is Elon Musk" rode a broader wave of video-stacking memes that dominated TikTok in 2021-2022, where creators placed reaction or commentary clips beneath unrelated footage. The format's success in French-language internet communities before crossing into English-speaking spaces made it a notable example of memes spreading across language barriers on TikTok.

The meme also fed into the larger ecosystem of Elon Musk internet culture, where his public persona has been both celebrated and mocked through countless formats. The ironic use of the clip to crown random people as geniuses reflected a growing ambivalence toward tech billionaire worship online.

Fun Facts

The music used in the meme isn't actually the original "Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio but a remix called "180 Million Dollar Dance" by SoundCloud producer Mikael Kun.

The narrator's voice belongs to Tony Hirst, recorded for a 2017 National Geographic documentary about Tesla, three years before the meme emerged.

The meme broke out first in French-speaking internet communities before reaching English-speaking audiences, an unusual reverse of the typical meme diffusion pattern.

The original monacoroom fan edit on YouTube was a sincere tribute to Musk, not intended as comedy. The meme format that followed was largely ironic.

Derivatives & Variations

Voice recreation versions:

Creators like rythmind_official recorded their own dramatic imitations of Tony Hirst's narration, sometimes introducing different people or fictional characters instead of Musk[2].

Compilation videos:

YouTubers such as DJ Laby compiled the best TikTok iterations into longer highlight reels for YouTube audiences[2].

Mobile game pairings:

A popular subgenre paired the meme with footage from mobile puzzle games like "Save the Dog," turning simple game solutions into mock genius moments[2].

Frequently Asked Questions