I Need a Doctor is a meme based on the rap of the same name performed by American performers Dr. Dre, Eminem, and Skylar Grey. The meme primarily works as a placing of the song in animations of characters bleeding out or dying.

Origins

The song was originally released on February 1, 2011 through Aftermath Entertainment, Dr. Dre's label. The song focuses on the close friendship between Dre and Slim Shady and how they got each other's backs. Reaction to the song was generally positive, and it hit #4 at the Billboard charts at the time as well. The music video for the song was released on February 24 of that year. It currently sits at over 300 million views as of 2018.

The earliest examples of the meme date back to April 2011. The first of these is by animator SheWolfInTheCity and depicted a dog character getting gored graphically. This video currently sits at over 100 thousand views.

Spread

Soon, more versions continued to spread from a variety of animators. Gimmicks include treating their characters to either harmless injuries or worse fates.