Weird Twitter seems to be hitting an inflection point.
The amorphous group of users known for absurdist riffs on the latest news is falling behind the curve. There’s such a saturation of memesters and shitposters that very few are able to stand out. Plus, in the Trump era, it’s hard to top the insanity of the real world.
oh wow, just caught a preview of Donald Glover’s Lando rap for the Han #SoloMovie. didn’t realize we’d be getting new Childish Gambino music so soon!! i hope Disney doesn’t take this down! pic.twitter.com/t1BTAAiDiE
— demi adejuyigbe (@electrolemon) February 6, 2018
But there’s still a place for weirdness on Twitter, if it’s just the right combination of topical, bizarre and funny — and if it hits on something a broader audience can enjoy. That sweet spot is where Demi Adejuyigbe has made a name for himself.
During the Super Bowl on Sunday, the teaser trailer for Solo: A Star Wars Story dropped, with Donald Glover turning heads as Lando Calrissian. Barely 24 hours later, Adejuyigbe turned around a ridiculously in-depth parody song purporting to be from the rapper/actor. The track melds the hip-hop tropes of sexual escapades and expensive vanity purchases with Star Wars references and wordplay galore — all in a pitch-perfect imitation of Glover’s early-career voice and style.
More than three decades into Weird Al’s career, parody songs are pretty much tapped out. (Hence, Weird Al’s upcoming tour featuring originals only.) A track that was only a Childish Gambino satire, or only a bunch of Star Wars puns, wouldn’t have stood out like this. It’s the mix of both — riffing on a beloved franchise and ripping on a beloved artist — that made this parody distinct, and made it go viral.
And virality is pretty much the standard for Adejuyigbe at this point. If you’re an active Twitter user, you’ve almost certainly encountered some of his gags.
You might recall his “Uptown Funk” mashups, which flawlessly overlaid the vocals for 30 different songs onto the iconic Mark Ronson beat:
https://t.co/40MQOYr1l5 pic.twitter.com/uJofdLkSFm — demi adejuyigbe (@electrolemon) April 1, 2016
Perhaps you had a laugh when you saw him explaining the plot to Darren Aronofsky’s mother! via a Spotify playlist:
just discovered you can write the entire plot of ‘mother!’ using only david byrne songs pic.twitter.com/OrC4uLu9TB — demi adejuyigbe (@electrolemon) January 13, 2018
You might have heard his, uh, remix of Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September,” which interpolates the date referenced in the opening line over the remainder of the first verse and the chorus:
pic.twitter.com/HR06yeUPFv — demi adejuyigbe (@electrolemon) September 22, 2016
Or maybe you just chuckled to yourself when you saw him offload 57 copies of Click onto his parents:
4 months ago i quietly left 57 dvds of ‘click’ at my parents’ house and they’ve still never noticed or mentioned it pic.twitter.com/j864rH9eG8 — demi adejuyigbe (@electrolemon) November 28, 2013
Does this stuff make any sense? Of course not. Does it have a point? Nope. And that’s why we love it. Adejuyigbe is unlike anyone else in the game — he sees the potential for an outside-the-box meme or joke, and with superb technical and musical skills, he’s able to execute his ideas to perfection.