Now Look at This

About

Now Look at This is a TikTok trend based on an edited version of the 2008 song "Day 'n' Nite" by rapper Kid Cudi. Videos start with the lyric "Now look at this" and cut off to an unrelated video, which is usually amusing in some way. The trend was popularized on the platform in early 2021.

Origin

On February 5th, 2008, American rapper Kid Cudi released "Day 'n' Nite" as the first single from his debut mixtape A Kid Named Cudi (music video shown below).^[1]

Day and night
I toss and turn, I keep stressing my mind, mind
I look for peace but see I don't attain
What I need for keeps this silly game we play, play
Now look at this
Madness to magnet keeps attracting me, me
I try to run but see I'm not that fast
I think I'm first but surely finish last, last

On February 27th, 2021, TikTok^[2] user yobenjiwhatyouupto posted a video that used a portion of the song starting with the lyric "Now look at this" and transitioning into an instrumental version of the song. The lyric was followed by an unrelated humorous video. The TikTok (shown below) received over 7.2 million views and 1.7 million likes in three weeks. This is the earliest found example of the meme.

Spread

On February 28th, 2021, yobenjiwhatyouupto posted^[3] another video based on the same format that received over 587,000 views and 130,000 likes in three weeks (shown below, left). In the following days, the format gained notable spread on the app. For example, on March 1st, 2021, TikTok^[4] user c00chie_simp posted a video that gained over 7 million views and 2 million likes in three weeks (shown below, center). On March 2nd, TikTok^[5] user go4nado posted a version of the meme that received over 20.6 million views and 3.6 million likes in the same period (shown below, right).

On March 12th, 2021, following the viral spread of the meme, Kid Cudi addressed the trend on Twitter, writing that he was "not flattered" (tweet shown below).

As of March 17th, 2021, over 370,000 videos using "Day 'n' Nite" were posted to TikTok.^[6]

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References