There's a new meme on TikTok that uses Twitch streamer Duke Dennis and his "fit pics," pairing them with an ultra-slowed remix of DaBaby's song "BOP."

The strange trend is going viral right now, quickly spreading outside of Duke Dennis' fanbase and into the mainstream web. The videos, that slowly fade Dennis in, are simple yet, at the same time, avant-garde akin to many ironic memes on the web.

With all this in mind, what do they mean? Where did these memes come from and why are they going viral? Let's explain.

What's The Duke Dennis Meme?

The Duke Dennis meme that's currently popping off on TikTok follows a simple format. The videos start with a black screen. Then, a meme featuring Duke Dennis fades in. A white top caption is added to the top of the image that reads a funny catchphrase.

The captions predominantly reference being "hard" which is suggestive but also akin to the "images that go hard" meme. That's why the trend is being called "Duke Dennis 'Hard' Memes."

The videos also use a slowed version of DaBaby's song "BOP." Why? Well, DaBaby is no stranger to ironic memes made about him.

@horace.ae real #relatable #fyp #goviral #dukedennis ♬ original sound – azru

@kai2mahomie real #hard ♬ original sound – azru

Who Started The Duke Dennis Meme?

The person who started the new Duke Dennis meme is a TikToker named @oneheart_real who posted the initial slew of videos this week. The TikToker had been making slow fade-in videos for a month now but the Duke Dennis iterations have taken off the most.

@oneheart_real real #treeree ♬ original sound – azru

Who Is Duke Dennis?

Duke Dennis is a Twitch streamer and YouTuber who has a major following online, culminating in over 3.6 million followers on Instagram. Duke, for short, is part of AMP, a group of streamers that includes others like Kai Cenat and Fanum.




Why Is Duke Dennis A Meme?

Duke Dennis is a meme right now for a few reasons. Firstly, his old "fit pics" from his Facebook are objectively funny and they've been circulating the web en masse ever since the "Calm Luh Fit" trend adopted them as its poster child.

Secondly, Duke is akin to the slang term "Rizz" which he and other AMP members popularized back in 2022. In turn, memes playing on the concept of his "unspoken rizz" have already surfaced, most notably the "Your Verification Code is 1196" meme.

With all this considered, the Duke Dennis "Hard" memes play on these motifs, of him being a Rizz God while also being a tad corny.




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For the full history of Duke Dennis "Hard" Memes, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's entry for even more information.