By Boluwatife Oshuntolu ‘21, Student Writer

Pop culture is a big part of what makes America what it is. It encompasses everything from Harambe to Donald Trump. Memes like Pepe the Frog to popular dances like dabbing. At Newark Academy, students are generally very familiar with internet culture, as most students are seen exclaiming their favorite memes at random times throughout the hallways. A popular, recent meme is the death of the gorilla from the Cincinnati Zoo, Harambe. The late gorilla was born on May 27, 1999 at the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas. This legendary gorilla’s death was caused by a three-year-old that climbed over the enclosure around the gorilla exhibit and fell into the moat. Harambe decided to climb down and investigate; however, in doing so, made the zookeepers so paranoid that they decided to shoot the poor western lowland gorilla. The video of the child’s near-death-experience quickly became a meme and a word that is shouted from the rooftops daily at Newark Academy.

Now, Harambe’s death isn’t the only popular meme in town. Dabbing, a very popular dance move, has also been growing in popularity ever since the famous NFL athlete, Cam Newton, dabbed in celebration of a victory against another team, the Tennessee Titans. Newton credits a 16 year old for requesting him to “dab on them folks.” The problem is, dabbing usually refers to extracting liquid from cannabis, which is the official term for weed. At Newark Academy, however, dabbing is frequently used to show excitement or happiness. I wanted to learn more about this mysterious technique, so I decided to consult the foremost master of the dab: Jeffery Keys.

The following is a transcription of the interview that I had with Mr. Keys.

Oshuntolu: So, Mr. Keys, what are your opinions on dabbing?

Keys: I think dabbing is great, although I would presume most would disagree.

Oshuntolu: Alright. And why do you think that is so?

Keys: It’s just a harmless dance, but some [people] are digging a bit deeper for a hidden meaning that isn’t there. Its origins might be drug-related, but I believe that the original meaning has been drowned out and replaced with one that is more fun and happy.

Oshuntolu: Alright, I have one last question for you. How long do you think dabbing will last?

Keys: I think it will fade out around 2018, but it will have a comeback around 2042.

Oshuntolu: Well, thank you for joining me, Mr. Keys.

Keys: Thank you for having me, Mr. Boluwatife Oshuntolu.

As you can see from the brilliant observations of Mr. Keys, dabbing will be sticking around for awhile, just like the rest of the memes on the internet that have stayed strong ever since the internet was created.