Overview
The Harlem Shake became February 2013’s defining meme: a 30-second video format featuring Baauer’s “Harlem Shake” (2012 trap song), one person dancing alone, then—after the bass drop—everyone convulsing in absurd costumes. It peaked at 4,000+ uploads daily, generated billions of views, and infuriated actual Harlem residents.
The Format
Setup (0:00-0:15): One person (often masked) dances alone while others ignore them
Drop (0:15-0:30): Bass drops, cut to everyone dancing chaotically in costumes/props
The formula’s simplicity enabled mass participation: dorm rooms, offices, military units, even underwater divers created versions. The Norwegian Army’s version (20M+ views) and University of Georgia’s (13M+ views) became iconic.
Origins & Controversy
Baauer’s “Harlem Shake” sampled Plastic Little’s “Miller Time,” itself referencing the actual Harlem Shake—a 1980s dance from Harlem’s hip-hop scene featuring shoulder shimmies and aggressive arm movements.
Real Harlem residents, including rapper Ma$e and original dancers, condemned the meme as cultural appropriation: white kids spasming randomly had nothing to do with Harlem’s dance tradition. The controversy highlighted internet culture’s tendency to strip cultural context from Black artistic forms.
Business Impact
Baauer’s song, originally a modest trap release, hit #1 on Billboard Hot 100 (first time an instrumental topped since 1963). The meme generated $1M+ in licensing revenue within weeks, demonstrating viral content’s monetization potential but also raising questions about who profits when cultural products go viral.
YouTube’s Content ID system initially blocked many videos, then reversed course—a turning point for platform policies around user-generated meme content.
Legacy
The Harlem Shake established the “meme video format” template: short, memeable structure + participatory challenge + algorithmic amplification. It previewed TikTok’s dance challenges, mannequin challenge (2016), and in my feelings challenge (2018).
The cultural appropriation debate foreshadowed ongoing tensions around viral Black culture: renegade (2020), Megan Thee Stallion dances, and drill music’s mainstream adoption all followed similar patterns.
Sources
- Billboard “How the ‘Harlem Shake’ Conquered the Internet” (March 2013)
- The Atlantic “The Harlem Shake: Somewhere, Baudrillard is Laughing” (February 2013)
- NPR “The Real Harlem Shake” (February 2013)