Source: HBO
Memes Rule Everything Around Me: CJ's "Here We Go Again," The "Tough Guy" Entrance, 'Game Of Thrones' & More
Source: HBO
Another month, another Memes Rule Everything Around Me.
Ah, April. The month gave us plenty of memes that provided us with some much-needed comic relief. But there were some that stood above the rest and one that particularly stared into the pits of our souls.
Yes, we're talking about the one and only "tough guy" entrance meme, in which 32-year-old Jawah Bendaoud enters a courtroom and proceeds to stare intensely throughout the room, his eyes shifting quickly but never losing their intensity.
\u201cYour shorty waiting to be introduced to the girl who just hugged you\u201d— \ud83c\udd7f\ufe0fuerto Rican \ud83c\udd7f\ufe0fapoose (@\ud83c\udd7f\ufe0fuerto Rican \ud83c\udd7f\ufe0fapoose) 1554410353
Turns out that Bendaoud was leaving — not entering — court after he was convicted of harboring terrorists Abdelhamid Abaaoud and Hasna Aitboulahcen, who allegedly took part in the 2015 Paris attacks. Bendaoud was sentenced to four years in prison in March 2019. He had first been acquitted of the charges in his first trial in February 2018 related to the two terrorists after the judge said there was insufficient evidence that could prove he knew the attackers were terrorists, according to Buzzfeed News.
Prosecutors appealed the decision immediately and a second trial took place in March, where he was found guilty.
As BuzzFeed noted, the "tough guy" entrance meme wasn't the first time Bendaoud was at the focus of a viral meme. Bendaoud was speaking to a journalist for a video interview on a street near his flat where the terrorists were being hosted when he was apprehended by police.
"They asked me to help them, I helped," he said before being arrested. "They told me to put up two people for three nights and I helped. I don't know where they came from. If I knew, you believe that I would have put them up?"
French people then turned the clip into a meme, using a still image from the video and making up their own captions for it.
\u201c"j'avoue j'ai entendu qu'ils parlaient de balancer un truc lourd mais je pensais que c'\u00e9tait une mixtape"\u201d— LOGEUR DU DAESH (@LOGEUR DU DAESH) 1447884188
"I admit I heard they were talking about dropping something heavy, but I thought it was a mixtape," the caption translates to.
But it was Bendaoud's tough guy entrance that led to him being arguably the most recognized and used meme of April, which was created by Twitter user @MohamedJellit, according to BuzzFeed News. (The account has been suspended.)
Speaking with BuzzFeed Mohamed said, "Yes, I knew that this man was in a court for a terrorist offense but that's all, I have no opinion about him."
Following Bendaoud is this meme referencing Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas' Carl "CJ" Johnson, in which he's seen walking toward something while saying "Ah shit, here we go again."
The clip follows the opening cutscene of San Andreas where CJ is picked up by police officers Frank Tenpenny, Eddie Pulaski, and Jimmy Hernandez, who leave him stranded in a neighborhood called Jefferson, which happens to be where the Rollin Heights Ballas gang resides. In response to it all CJ then says, "Ah shit, here we go again. Worst place in the world. Rollin Heights Balla country. I ain't represented Grove Street in five years, but the Ballas won't give a shit."
Now, that scene has resurfaced as a meme on social media. According to Know Your Meme, the memes began as just a still image of the scene where CJ says "Ah shit, here we go again," accompanied by a caption made by someone or an image of someone photoshopped into the San Andreas still.
From there, Twitter user @ChaoticGeekCG created a green screen video edit of the scene, bringing the image to life and foreshadowing the clip's ubiquity on social media.
\u201cNever found a good green screen of CJ saying "Ah shit, here we go again". So i made one for myself. Also sharing it to y'all\u201d— Chaotic Geek \ud83e\udd13 (@Chaotic Geek \ud83e\udd13) 1554301733
The meme was initially used as a reference to other video games and anime series.
None— Carl Johnson (@Carl Johnson) 1554594607
However, it has since gone on to reference other pop culture and non-pop culture topics too.
None— Fred and Sophie's Mom\u262e\ufe0f\ud83d\udc15\ud83c\udf0d\ud83c\udf0e\ud83c\udf0f (@Fred and Sophie's Mom\u262e\ufe0f\ud83d\udc15\ud83c\udf0d\ud83c\udf0e\ud83c\udf0f) 1556495796
\u201cWhenever Fenty Beauty launches something new \n#SUNSTALKRBRONZER\u201d— Fenty Beauty (@Fenty Beauty) 1555975080
Someone even did a real-life recreation of the scene.
\u201cWhen memes come to life \ud83d\ude02 https://t.co/isCen5KGQH\u201d— Erin Ashley Simon (@Erin Ashley Simon) 1555975675
In the realm of sports, Portland Trail Blazers guard Dame Lillard became the source of a popular meme following his successful three-point shot during a recent playoff game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
\u201c\u231a\ufe0f YES, IT'S DAME TIME.\n\n@Dame_Lillard | @trailblazers \n\n#RipCity | #NBAPlayoffs\u201d— NBA Italia (@NBA Italia) 1556083800
The shot solidified Portland's win against Oklahoma with the game's score being 118-115. But Lillard remained calm and composed even as his teammates celebrated the win and his shot, a TV camera capturing a cold stare from the player that became a meme.
None— Jen Steer (@Jen Steer) 1556116995
\u201cMic drop. \ud83c\udfa4\u201d— Bleacher Report (@Bleacher Report) 1556086027
And lastly, it wouldn't be an April roundup of popular memes without acknowledging Game of Thrones, specifically this meme of Daenerys Targaryen.
\u201cCaption this.\u201d— doom (@doom) 1555967995
The image comes from Thrones' second episode from season eight, "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms," where Daenerys flashes a squint smile at Sansa Stark after making a joke about Jon Snow's height.
None— caitlin\u264f\ufe0f (@caitlin\u264f\ufe0f) 1556048863
None— schuyler (@schuyler) 1556053549
Although these were the top ones, we've also included some honorable mentions below.
Kenny Beats' "Whoa, Kenny!" meets Kenny G
Fake Playboi Carti "Kid Cudi" snippet
None— kizle (@kizle) 1555625534
Michael B. Jordan as The Joker
\u201cMichael B Jordan as the Joker\u201d— Big Gucci Krow (@Big Gucci Krow) 1554313879