Key Takeaways
- Chart Performance: “What’s Up?” by 4 Non Blondes reenters the Billboard charts due to a viral trend.
- Streaming Surge: The song saw a 17% increase in streams, totaling 4.2 million in the week ending Oct. 30.
- Viral Mashup: Users are creatively combining “What’s Up?” with Nicki Minaj’s “Beez in the Trap” on platforms like TikTok.
- Social Media Impact: The trend features lip-syncing and has attracted participation from various celebrities.
4 Non Blondes’ “What’s Up?” is back on the Billboard charts, thanks to a viral trend.
The 1993 No. 14-peaking Billboard Hot 100 classic reenters the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs tally dated Nov. 8 at No. 13, as users on shortform video platforms such as TikTok have been mashing up the track with Nicki Minaj’s 2012 hit “Beez in the Trap.” (Older songs are eligible for Billboard’s multimetric charts if in the top half and with a meaningful reason for their resurgences.)
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In the week ending Oct. 30, “What’s Up?” drew 4.2 million official U.S. streams, up 17%, according to Luminate. It also sold 1,000 downloads, a 34% boost week-over-week, sparking a second week at No. 3 on the Rock Digital Song Sales tally.
Over the past few weeks, streams of “What’s Up?” have steadily gained. A month prior to the Nov. 8 rankings (in the tracking week for charts dated Oct. 4), the song accumulated 2.7 million streams. A year ago this week (Nov. 9, 2024), the track pulled 2.2 million streams.
As for “Beez in the Trap,” the tune from Minaj’s 2012 album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (the track hit No. 7 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs that year) totaled 1.7 million on-demand streams in the week of Oct. 24-30, up 47%. A month ago (week ending Sept. 25), it drew 484,000 streams.
The viral sound featuring both songs synchs up their choruses: 4 Non Blondes singer Linda Perry’s refrain of “And I say, hey, what’s going on?” merges with Minaj’s “Bitches ain’t shit and they ain’t sayin’ nothing/ A hundred motherfuckers can’t tell me nothing/ I beez in the trap” verse.
That said, the original versions of each are having their own moments on platforms including TikTok, although many videos still reference the prevailing meme; some of the top-performing clips, for instance, find users lip-synching to “What’s Up?” but then mouthing along to the lyrics of “Beez in the Trap” at its usual cue even though its audio isn’t playing.
The mashup sound is lip-synch-heavy, as well, with some of the most viral uses indicated by two participants standing back-to-back, one taking the 4 Non Blondes lyrics and the other assuming Minaj’s role. The trend has been utilized by everyone from typical creators to folks dressed up in cosplay or Halloween costumes to celebrities such as Anitta, Jimmy Fallon, Kylie Jenner, Khloe Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez. Lopez’s version even got Perry herself in on the fun.
