Lizzo did the thing. And “the thing,” of course, is the viral rap Ariana DeBose performed at the BAFTA Awards on Feb. 19, part of which the “About Damn Time” singer recreated at a recent concert.
In a Thursday night (Feb. 23) TikTok video from one of Lizzo’s recent shows, the four-time Grammy winner — looking radiant in a glittering leotard — talks to her audience onstage in between songs. “Let’s shake it off,” she says, before taking a stab at the line from DeBose’s rap that the internet is probably the most obsessed with: “Angela Bassett did the thing.”
Lizzo even did her own version of the shoulder shimmy the West Side Story film reboot actress did while performing at the BAFTAs, opening the awards show with an original rap in honor of some of the female nominees. “Angela Bassett did the thing/ Viola Davis my ‘Woman King’/ Blanchett Cate you’re a genius/ Jamie Lee you are all of us,” DeBose sang in a clip from the show that quickly set Twitter ablaze, as many of the actresses she mentioned stared blankly.
Like so many viral moments, it’s hard to pinpoint why exactly DeBose’s earnest number has been amplified and passed around as much as it has been by the internet in the past few days — evidenced by the loud cheers Lizzo received immediately after referencing it in concert — but between the clunky lyrics, campy dance moves and the camera cutting to Jamie Lee Curtis jamming out, one of the first iconic memes of 2023 was born. Some viewers’ responses to the Oscar winner’s performance were a little harsh, however, and DeBose has since deactivated her Twitter account.
People got so carried away, BAFTAs producer Nick Bullen later felt the need to come to DeBose’s defense. “I think it’s incredibly unfair, to be frank. I absolutely loved it,” Bullen told Variety after the show. “Everybody I’ve spoken to who was in the room absolutely loved it. She’s a huge star, she was amazing.”
Watch Lizzo recreate Ariana DeBose’s viral BAFTAs rap below:
