How Adult Swim And A Sped Up BadBadNotGood Song Inspired The Latest TikTok Trend
How Adult Swim And A Sped Up BadBadNotGood Song Inspired The Latest TikTok Trend
Photo Credit: Screengrab via TikTok

How Adult Swim And BadBadNotGood Inspired TikTok's Latest Trend

People on TikTok are creating their own Adult Swim bumpers, each one soundtracked by a sped up version of BadBadNotGood's "Time Moves Slow."

Whether you're on TikTok or not, you've probably seen one of these videos inspired by Adult Swim's distinct bumpers. Soundtracked by a sped up version of BadBadNotGood's "Time Moves Slow," the videos are a homage to the bumps, resulting in the "AS" trend that is occurring on TikTok.

Now, for those that grew up with Adult Swim, the TikTok videos will be a nostalgic joy to watch. For those that didn't, well, here's a little primer. Founded in 2001, Adult Swim continues to serve as Cartoon Network's adult-oriented nighttime programming block, airing everything from animated shows like Rick & Morty to sketch comedies like The Eric Andre Show. But another distinct part of Adult Swim is its presentation, which its bumpers play an important part in. Placed in between the typical commercials one expects to get while watching TV, these bumps range from funny and random quote-based bits to cool still images and videos, with both often paired with a cool-sounding instrumental, whether that be J Dilla's "Welcome to the Show" or Flying Lotus' "Massage Situation."

In this way, Adult Swim has also served as a space for their fans to discover new music, with their bumps — as well as shows and their ongoing Singles Program — introducing fans to everyone from MF DOOM to Freddie Gibbs and Madlib. So, it makes sense that part of the charm of this trend isn't just the creative visuals TikTok users are coming up with, but that it's soundtracked by a great song. "Time Moves Slow" is one of the standout tracks from BadBadNotGood's 2016 album IV. Featuring Future Islands frontman Sam Herring, the track is much slower than its TikTok counterpart, which was made by producer Vano 3000. VANO used the beat for the first time in a TikTok video posted on May 23, but it wouldn't be until a post he made the following day that would kickoff the "AS" trend. The video finds his version of "Time Moves Slow" soundtracking him as he walks behind someone dressed up as Spider-Man, with text appearing throughout the clip before it ends with the Adult Swim logo.

Describing himself as a millennial, Vano told Insider, "I watch Adult Swim every single night, like, I grew up on Adult Swim. I just thought it was so genius. I'm like, I love Adult Swim, you know? And then the cartoon selection that they've got and all that, I just love their aesthetic."

Now, the Adult Swim-inspired TikTok videos have taken off, with the programming block even acknowledging the trend on its own TikTok account.

Hopefully, this is just the beginning of the trend, because it really is cool to see how people express themselves creatively through these bumps.

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