The Mannequin Challenge was a viral trend that took off in late 2016, where people froze in place like mannequins while a camera panned through, usually set to Rae Sremmurd’s “Black Beatles.” Several rappers jumped on the bandwagon, adding their own flair to the craze.
Young Thug and 21 Savage nailed it with a video on a private jet, where they, along with their crew, the pilot, and even an airport employee, stood motionless. The clip doubled as a preview for an unreleased track they collaborated on, produced by Wheezy. Rae Sremmurd, whose song became the challenge’s anthem, took it to another level during a concert in Denver, freezing on stage with the entire audience joining in until the beat dropped. A$AP Ferg brought the energy at a concert on his Turnt and Burnt tour, and Jermaine Dupri got in on the fun on the set of a TV show.
TMZ and other outlets reported on a notable moment at LAX in 2016, where a rap duo (not explicitly named in the source but implied to be Rae Sremmurd based on context) got everyone around them at the airport to freeze for the challenge, showing their knack for rallying a crowd.
The trend wasn’t just a rap thing—celebrities like Beyoncé, Paul McCartney, and even Michelle Obama with the Cleveland Cavaliers got involved—but rappers like Young Thug, 21 Savage, Rae Sremmurd, and A$AP Ferg definitely helped make it a cultural moment. If you’re curious about a specific rapper’s video or want to dig deeper into one, let me know, and I can search for more details or analyze a particular clip if you have it