With Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road," featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, staying at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for a 17th week and breaking the all-time record, some may be wondering: How did we get here?
The answer is simple: All it took was a meme.
Lil Nas X first uploaded the tune to the short-form video app TikTok in February, sparking a meme in which creators drink "Yee Yee Juice" and change into western garb in time for the song's drop. It has since become the background music for just about anything, from backflips to baking.