The phrase has been on my mind for the past week or so. I saw reactions ahead of seeing the actual event in my various feeds, in that fragmented way I think is typical of TikTok. You can find it here:
The song was performed during a 2-hour long livestreamed freestyle by an artist named Ericdoa, and it referenced both a haircut (the low taper fade in question) and a streamer (Ninja). There have been millions of views, thousands of riffs, etc., on TikTok. There’s almost an old, random twist in this non-sequitur! XD internet.
The NFL’s Ninja revealed his low taper fade on TikTok before I think too hard about it.
Imagine If Ninja Got a Low Taper Fade was a viral clip where hyperpop singer ericdoa sang, “Imagine if Ninja got a low taper fade,” referring to streamer Richard Tyler “Ninja” Blevins. Video clips reacting to the livestream and slideshows where Ninja is photoshopped to have a low taper fade emerged after it was reposted to ericdoaclips by ericdoa in January 2024. The meme Tfue high taper fade was parodied in a series of memes that went viral in October 2024 on TikTok.
An audience member in Ninja’s stream was confused, so Ninja explained a little more. He said, “Dude, if you haven’t been on TikTok, you don’t get it. It was just this crazy meme.” He said, “Everyone is memeing this.” And that’s true; TikTok’s speed made this viral almost immediately. In addition to the video, the audio went viral as well since it’s TikTok. Many videos now feature it as the soundtrack.
It’s funny how TikTok’s speed and insularity mean that the meme – or at least the content cycle – has kind of reached its end of life cycle already. As a result, Ericdoa’s profile has definitely been raised.
To summarize, a relatively unknown artist mentions a famous streamer in the middle of a 2 hour freestyle, which is clipped and uploaded by a fanpage, which became popular enough via TikTok’s algorithm that the streamer saw the clip — and then boosted it even more, causing social media managers for the NFL and NBA to post their own videos featuring the audio. On various video podcasts, the original players react to their 15 seconds of TikTok fame as part of the last part of the content cycle.
Ericdoa explains the origin of the phrase:
This is pretty fucking depressing for me,” he says:
Here’s the timestamp 30-40 minutes in – almost half an hour in. It wasn’t a joke anymore at this point. The session had become a full-on therapy session. As I talked about things that upset me, I was actually talking about things that really bother me. When I mentioned my grandfather’s death, I was talking about his death. Seeing myself on the internet made me feel vulnerable. At this moment, I must force myself not to cry. If I were to do one thing that wouldn’t make me cry, what would it be? A low taper fade would be perfect for Ninja!’
In my opinion, the whole thing is what makes TikTok so confusing to many people. Since the network intentionally isolates itself, it’s easy to miss important information. Naturally, the algorithm of the app knows what you might like based on your interactions with it, so it shows you stuff you might like. You don’t care if Ninja got a low taper fade if you don’t participate in TikTok’s gaming, sports, or hyperpop buckets, right?
As a result of such insularity, the things that breach containment are completely incomprehensible. There’s the Stanley tumbler phenomenon as an example; I believe it’s a legit product, but I’m not sure what the hype is about, since I don’t see it around my corner of the web. This kind of thing makes the internet much harder to follow nowadays; people aren’t participating in the same conversation.
I guess I’m saying that it’s not that main characters are out of date. In most cases, you aren’t able to see them because they exist in places you can’t see.
I am Jayden Ward, the owner and creator of Taperfadee.com, a dedicated platform focused on providing comprehensive guides and insights into taper fade haircuts. With a passion for hairstyling and a keen eye for detail, I aim to empower individuals to achieve the perfect taper fade, whether for personal styling or professional grooming.
