Supermodel Bella Hadid went sneaker shopping in a video for Complex, and her awkward attempts to use slang ended up inspiring a very strong new meme. Let’s look at why everyone on Twitter is now saying “homeboy can get it” or “it’s quiet for him.”
It started when the Bella video went viral in a tweet by @zekNcashe, a.k.a. Young Black Jesus, who reviewed her performance thusly: “Bella Hadid talk like a undercover cop.”
https://twitter.com/zekNcashe/status/916027985219768321
He was referring to Hadid’s use of black slang like “homeboy” and “dope,” delivered in a way that suggests she doesn’t talk like that when she’s not sneaker shopping for a hip-hop magazine. “If homeboy is coming through with these, it’s quiet for him,” she says, pointing to one pair of shoes. “But if he comes through in like, these, you got some Air Maxes out here, you got some Jordans, homeboy’s gonna, like … get it.”
After the “undercover cop” tweet went viral, Black Twitter turned Hadid’s lines into a great meme: “it’s quiet” vs. “gonna get it.” There are a couple of different modes the meme can take, and they’re both extremely funny. One way to use it is to pick the most absurd clothes or shoes you can find, and joke that homeboy’s gonna get it if he comes through in them:
https://twitter.com/jpbrammer/status/916848075494260736
If homeboy come thru with these… its quiet
But if he comes through in like, these, you got some indigenous kicks, homeboy is gonna like… pic.twitter.com/L5qtM4CNwL— Shamir (@ShamirBailey) October 9, 2017
https://twitter.com/glorychild_/status/917413671810273280
if homeboy come through in these
he gonna like
get it pic.twitter.com/ghoV7Dm5t7— trish (@TravelSizeTrish) October 9, 2017
But if homeboy come through in THESE… he’s gonna like… get it pic.twitter.com/feBpcerjTY
— Lupin III Memes™ (@Lupin3rdMemes) October 9, 2017
https://twitter.com/BootyWaChinChin/status/917433182101889025
Shoe opinions have always been big business on Twitter, whether you’re talking about the latest wack basketball sneaker— like the shoes endorsed by Steph Curry, James Harden, or Lonzo Ball—or weird Twitter guy Jon Hendren’s terrible clown shoes. This could be the definitive meme for roasting shoes, which means it could live on long after people forget who Bella Hadid is.
But that’s not the only way to use it. The shoes can just be a metaphor for qualities you like or dislike in a man.
i told homeboy i was stressed and he didn’t come through w emotional support home boy can like… not get it
— meg (@imadream) October 9, 2017
https://twitter.com/P5YKE/status/917415227242762240
https://twitter.com/theycallhermo/status/917393884724039687
https://twitter.com/newupdate/status/917386571111858176
https://twitter.com/coIdsouI/status/917371590869946368
If homeboy come through with LOYALTY & RESPECT…. homeboy is gonna likeeee get ittttt
— nisha (@HarleyQuan) October 9, 2017
As you can see, this meme is highly versatile. Right now, it’s mostly happening on Twitter, but it looks poised to make the jump to Reddit, where it will no doubt be mashed up with past memes and pop culture references. It looks like the process is already starting:
if homeboy rudely demands limited edition sauce then it’s quiet but if he come through with some likee widely available sauces homeboy can g pic.twitter.com/2XxSGDOydH
— 1833 (@its1833) October 9, 2017
Thank you, Bella Hadid. Your awkwardness is the meme world’s great gain. Wherever you come through, and whatever you come through in, you will probably be able to “get it.”
