The “Renegade†dance propelled TikTokers like Charli D’Amelio from their childhood bedrooms to the Hollywood Hills in record time, but while star-making opportunities like that are few and far between, this latest dance trend is giving us flashbacks. The flailing #ShotxCrisis dance challenge has reigned over TikTok for the past two months, set to 2019’s “Crisis†by 23-year-old Ohio rapper and opera singer Jasiah. Often compared to the late XXXTENTACION, 6ix9ine, and anyone else who screams, Jasiah has captured the internet’s imagination just like the those hitmakers. His 2018 cut “Shenanigans†featured a SpongeBob SquarePants sample and naturally became a meme on TikTok. The Cole Bennett–directed music video for “Crisis†solidified his status as a viral rapper, right up there with Lil Mosey and Jack Harlow. With the resurgence of “Crisis†on TikTok this summer, it jumps from meme to moment.
The #ShotxCrisis arm workout challenge takes the first half of its name from creator @tdfw.shot, a 17-year-old Dubsmasher-slash-TikToker. His fast-paced dance is primarily arms and facial expressions and takes a startling amount of concentration to execute half as well as him. Many a TikToker has tried and failed. The challenge is known for its difficulty, which is why we’re all having war flashbacks to the “Renegade†dance challenge, but watching them back-to-back … #ShotxCrisis makes “Renegade†look like a two-step. TikTok still combined the two, switched the choreography, and dubbed #ShotxCrisis “the new Renegade.†One major difference? TikTok Queen Charli and other big creators made sure to give @tdfw.shot dance credits, learning from their mistake with “Renegade†creator Jalaiah Harmon.
“Crisis†is a screeching rant over a bouncing beat, full of dire warnings. “I’m swerving in the streets / Got you nervous that I’m really murking, murder on the beat / Been a burden now I’m really workin’ and you finna see / You a servant, got your bitch, she workin’, twerkin’ in the sheets,†the TikTok sound sums up the threats. While some TikTok songs fall off after the trending part, “Crisis†goes hard from start to finish. Jasiah, a 23-year-old who’s been blending opera, rock, and rap since he was a tween, picked up traction when the rapper Ugly God tweeted his song “HAHAHAHAHA†in 2017. He dropped his first album with Atlantic Records, Jasiah I Am, in July 2019 and his latest project, Apocalypse is coming soon after being pushed from July. When your arms recover from #ShotxCrisis, use your new muscles to pull up Jasiah’s Black Panther–inspired music video for “Rebel,†directed by Trey Lyons and costumed by Telfar.