Overview

Hobo Johnson, real name Frank Lopes Jr, is an American musician known for his hip-hop-influenced, spoken word-style singing voice. He is the frontman for Hobo Johnson & the LoveMakers. His debut album was released in 2015 and he gained increased online virality in 2018 after the release of the music video for "Peach Scone" for NPR's Tiny Desk Contest, launching his album "The Rise of Hobo Johnson" to #11 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart. Hobo Johnson has a polarizing reputation online, with some finding his music pretentious and his voice bad while others regard it highly. In January 2023, a tweet reading "Hobo Johnson isn't bad ya'll just aren't sad enough" went viral, inspiring critical memes towards Hobo Johnson.

Online History

"Peach Scone" and NPR Tiny Desk Appearance

On March 7th, 2018, Hobo Johnson released the music video for his song "Peach Scone" on YouTube,^[1] gaining over 22 million views in five years (shown below). The video was created for NPR's Tiny Desk Contest, the winner getting to play a Tiny Desk concert. Johnson did not win the contest but the video went viral, raising his 2016 album "The Rise of Hobo Johnson" to #11 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart.^[2]

While the song became significantly popular and was loved by many, it also inspired memes and some hate towards Hobo Johnson. For example, on March 17th, 2018, YouTuber^[3] Fan Arthur posted an animated parody of a Hobo Johnson song and video, portraying him as a bad singer and the lyrics as pretentious and melodramatic, garnering over 334,000 views in five years (shown below, left). Although he did not win the contest, Hobo Johnson performed an NPR Tiny Desk concert, which was uploaded to YouTube^[4] on September 19th, garnering over 8.1 million views in five years (shown below, right).

The Fall of Hobo Johnson

In 2019, Hobo Johnson released "The Fall of Hobo Johnson," which gained mixed reviews online. Pitchfork^[5] awarded the album a 3.6 out of 10, calling it "crowded with histrionic vocals, tired emotions, and petty grievances, leaving little room to actually enjoy his music." On the other hand, TheNeedleDrop's Anthony Fantano gave the album an 8/10 in a video posted to YouTube^[6] on October 2nd, 2019, garnering over 486,000 views in three years (shown below).

The Revenge of Hobo Johnson

In 2021, the album "The Revenge of Hobo Johnson" was released. The album was largely received negatively, with a collective score of 1.4/5 on Rate Your Music^[7] with over 870 reviews. On July 8th, 2021, Anthony Fantano posted a review to YouTube,^[8] giving the album a "not good" out of 10, garnering over 429,000 views in just over a year (shown below).

Online Presence

Hobo Johnson Isn’t Bad Ya’ll Just Aren’t Sad Enough

On October 22nd, 2018, Twitter^[9] user @_kyracook posted a clip from Hobo Johnson's Tiny Desk concert, writing, "hobo Johnson isn’t bad y’all just aren’t sad enough," garnering over 97,000 likes and 27,000 retweets in just over four years (shown below). The tweet was largely criticized in the comment section, with many insisting Hobo Johnson is bad.

hobo Johnson isn’t bad y’all just aren’t sad enough pic.twitter.com/NYKQxLJsCD

— dum as (@_kyracook) October 23, 2018

In January 2023, the tweet saw a resurgence in popularity as Twitter users started quote-retweeting it with clips negatively comparing Hobo Johnson to other singers and poets, often using the phrase "hobo johnson isn't bad ya'll just aren't sad enough" as a copypasta. For example, on January 11th, Twitter^[10] user @carolinesavell posted a video comparing Hobo Johnson to Jonah Hill during the poetry slam scene in 22 Jump Street, garnering over 7,300 likes in two days (shown below).

hobo johnson isn’t bad ya’ll just aren’t sad enough https://t.co/qQeJHrvDzI pic.twitter.com/NNITUOoz4i

— caroline barry b benson (@carolinesavell) January 11, 2023

Search Interest

External References