Pop Culture

‘What’s up brother?’: Bros pay tribute to this niche celebrity with a surging new trend that’s taken on a life of its own

If you ever needed a dog whistle for a terminally online gamer bro, look no further than the “What’s up brother?” sketch

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Charlotte Colombo

TOS - 'What's Up Brother?'
That One Sound is a column from internet culture reporter Charlotte Colombo that explores the origin of popular sounds heard on TikTok.
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If you ever needed a dog whistle for a terminally online gamer bro, look no further than “What’s up brother?” It’s the catchphrase of a beloved streamer, but now it’s so much more than a niche trend.

What’s up Brother? meaning and sound

Sure, this is a column about TikTok sounds, but participating in the “What’s up brother?” trend is so much more than just saying the lines. It’s all about the way you say it, and the corresponding actions you must perform. “What’s up brother?” isn’t just a catchphrase—it’s a state of mind.

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You have to say it in a suitably squeaky voice and hold your pinkie finger out at an angle, just like that one episode of SpongeBob Squarepants.

The sound started going viral after TikToker Donnie Vincent challenged female viewers to approach their boyfriends with the catchphrase to see their reaction. 

@iamdonvincent DO IT RN #sketch #jynxzi #relationship ♬ original sound – Donnie

Hilarity ensued, as each and every one instantly recognized the catchphrase and other mannerisms related to the meme. It’s as if you’re sharing a niche meme IRL—which, in other words, is really just telling a joke, isn’t it?

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Where’s ‘What’s up brother?’ from?

@.podcastsdaily sketch and Jynxzi having a “real” conversation #jynxzi #thesketchreal #sketch #funnymoments #streamer ♬ original sound – TheSketchLive

When people are saying that catchphrase, what they’re actually doing is imitating Sketch— a mid-size Twitch streamer with 600K followers who sounds just a little bit like Gilbert Gottfried.

While he initially became known for being a friend of streamer Jynxzi, Sketch’s delightful quirkiness and distinctive voice has led to him earning a cult following of his own both on Twitch and all the way to the NFL.

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Sound off

@turbo_twosum #stitch with @Donnie someone pls explain #whatsupbrother #fyp #sketch #twitch ♬ original sound – turbo_twosum

Sketch—the man, the myth, the legend—ended up responding to Donnie’s video by simply typing “TRUST” in the comments. So, I think we can safely assume that Sketch isn’t just aware of the trend, but fully endorses it too.

Now you can watch our That One Sound from TikTok column on YouTube! Subscribe to our channel and keep an eye out for new episodes every Wednesday:

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