Time after time, The Shadow League, and many other media outlets have tried to instill the value of having mainstream cultural offerings reinvigorated via their proximity to, or usage by, young African American creatives. As you know, the umbrella of creativity cast a shadow where ever there are brilliant minds creating something from nothing. Nowhere has there ever been a more apparent place for these happenings than at Historically Black Colleges and Universities that cover the southern and eastern portions of the United States.
At Alcorn State University, The Golden Girls are a fixture at games and local festivities as well. They are pretty much an institution in their locale, with over a dozen dancers moving in rhythm to a drumline or marching band playing pop tunes.
Last month the Golden Girls Instagram fan page @forevergolden posted a clip of the team at Jack Spinks Stadium performing to R&B all-girl group Eternals Stay from 1993.
It was actually an old clip from the prior September, but that didnt matter to an anonymous meme villain who tried to clown.
He layered the video over Fleetwood Macs classic Dreams, written by Stevie Nicks. For you youngsters, Nicks is a woman, and the song is from the rockin late 70s. Back in the present, a meme creator tried to diss the group’s music with the caption “Fleetwood Macs music is so boring, you cant even dance to it
But once the Golden Girls were added in, the power of Black Girl Magic did its thing again.
i m m i g r n t on Twitter
Fleetwood Mac’s music is so boring, you can’t even dance to it” Me, an intellectual: https://t.co/2QmrFycHy2
As is often the case with black folk, that which was meant to be a diss helped give the song, and the color guard, a new level of notoriety as the color guard meme went viral with millions of combined views and retweets.
Fleetwood Mac may want to give the Golden Girls of Alcorn State, and original video producer Killa Kev Productions a shout out, or at least cut them a check.
The ASU “Golden Girls” Dance To Fleetwood Mac (BEST QUALITY)
Support : http://cash.me/$KillaKevProd WATCH IN 1080p60!!! Headphones are suggested for full surround sound. A twitter user @bottledfleet, decided to use some of my footage mashed up with Fleetwood Mac. The video is currently going viral with 6.92Million views!! Shoutout to the Alcorn State University “Golden Girls”! Please Subscribe!! Thanks for Watching!!
Dreams was No. 1 on the Billboard charts in June 1977, but streams recently jumped 24 percent in the last month of March. This is not only a testament to the power of social media, but of black cultural influence as well. Oftentimes, creative success is a matter of serendipity, and that which was meant to be a diss ends up being the ultimate compliment.
Elexis Wilson, the troupes captain and leading lady in the video, said that she was surprised that it became so popular.
I was shocked that actually somebody watched that video, the college senior revealed in a phone interview. She said the original video, captured below, was taken after Alcorn States first game of the season in early September, her first as the teams lead dancer.
Alcorn State University Marching Band – Marching In (Miles) – 2017
Support : http://cash.me/$KillaKevProd WATCH IN 1080p60!!! Headphones are suggested for full surround sound. Please Subscribe!! Thanks for Watching!!
People have been emailing me and just telling me, did you know your video got 7 million likes? said Wilson.
Yet not everyone is cool with this.
Andy Baio, a white blogger who helped build Kickstarter, said that he took offense to the meme in a post on Twitter in late March.
I love Fleetwood Mac, but it feels disrespectful to take video of these women, re-dub it with an all-white rock band, and turn them into a meme, he wrote. Baio went on to say this tactic was tantamount to digital blackface.
However, I would counter, for if the Golden Girls benefit in the long run, I have no problem with it.
