Calm Down Jamal

2017Catchphrase / TikTok sound trendsemi-active

Also known as: "Don't Pull Out the 9" · "Whoa Calm Down Jamal"

"Whoa, Calm Down Jamal, Don't Pull Out the 9" is a catchphrase from a 2017 RDCworld1 comedy sketch that blew up as a TikTok audio trend in September 2020. The line comes from a satirical YouTube video comparing Black and white sitcom theme songs, where a character mockingly tells another not to pull out a 9mm handgun2. Once remixed into a TikTok sound template, the audio was used in over 102,000 videos by early 2021, powering a wave of comedic confrontation skits2.

tiktok sound trendssitcom parody memesrdcworld1 memessketch comedy memesgun memes

Overview

The meme centers on a specific audio clip pulled from a longer comedy sketch. In the original video, a group of actors playing exaggerated white characters taunt a Black character with the line "Whoa, calm down Jamal, don't pull out the 9," with "the 9" referring to a 9mm pistol1. The delivery is deliberately over-the-top, playing on racial stereotypes for comedic effect within the sketch's broader satire of sitcom tropes.

On TikTok, the audio was packaged into a template that follows a specific structure: a snippet of DJ Khaled's "Wild Thoughts" plays, followed by a beat of silence, then the "calm down Jamal" line, group laughter, a dramatic drum hit, and another pause1. Creators use this audio template to stage short skits depicting fictional hostile encounters, usually with the TikToker confronting a celebrity or public figure.

On December 21, 2017, the YouTube comedy group RDCworld1 uploaded a video titled "BLACK SITCOM THEMES VS WHITE SITCOM THEMES"1. The sketch strings together parodies of theme songs from stereotypically "Black" and "white" sitcoms, connected by a skit set on a basketball court where a group of Black characters faces off against a group of racist white characters (all played by Black actors in exaggerated costumes). At the 0:40 mark, one of the "white" characters delivers the now-iconic line to one of the Black characters1. The video picked up 8.6 million views over the next three years.

The TikTok era of the meme started in early September 2020 when TikToker @itsnotay_ created an original sound that spliced the RDCworld1 audio clip together with DJ Khaled's "Wild Thoughts" and dramatic sound effects1. The original video has since been removed, but the sound quickly spread across the platform.

Origin & Background

Platform
YouTube (source video), TikTok (viral sound trend)
Key People
RDCworld1, @itsnotay_
Date
2017 (origin), 2020 (viral spread)

On December 21, 2017, the YouTube comedy group RDCworld1 uploaded a video titled "BLACK SITCOM THEMES VS WHITE SITCOM THEMES"1. The sketch strings together parodies of theme songs from stereotypically "Black" and "white" sitcoms, connected by a skit set on a basketball court where a group of Black characters faces off against a group of racist white characters (all played by Black actors in exaggerated costumes). At the 0:40 mark, one of the "white" characters delivers the now-iconic line to one of the Black characters1. The video picked up 8.6 million views over the next three years.

The TikTok era of the meme started in early September 2020 when TikToker @itsnotay_ created an original sound that spliced the RDCworld1 audio clip together with DJ Khaled's "Wild Thoughts" and dramatic sound effects1. The original video has since been removed, but the sound quickly spread across the platform.

How It Spread

On September 6, 2020, TikToker @h.fazo posted one of the earliest videos using the sound, depicting a comedic encounter with a police officer who lip-dubs the "calm down Jamal" line while pointing a weapon at the creator1. That video pulled in over 6.6 million views within six months.

Three days later on September 9, @danimonstah uploaded a skit using the format to joke about accused predator Tony Lopez being spotted with a young girl1. It racked up over 12 million views in five months, making it one of the trend's biggest individual hits.

The format spread fast. On September 10, @iishxtmyself posted a version featuring a fictional encounter between herself, Bryce Hall, and Addison Rae, using her own remix of the sound1. Her version was reused over 3,600 times. On September 13, @ashunaustin created yet another remix that was picked up in over 1,700 videos1.

The trend crossed over to gaming content on October 2 when @jakefellman posted an Among Us-themed version set to the sound, getting 958,000 views on TikTok1. When he reposted it to YouTube on October 7, it exploded to over 28 million views1. That same day, Nutshell Animations uploaded an original animated take on the format, pulling 180,000 views1.

By March 2, 2021, @itsnotay_'s original sound alone had been used in over 102,000 TikTok videos, making it the dominant version of the audio on the platform1. The catchphrase also spread beyond TikTok as a standalone quote. On February 8, 2021, a Reddit post on r/teenagers paired the line with a SpongeBob meme and earned over 1,100 upvotes, showing the phrase had taken on a life of its own as a general-purpose internet quip1.

Urban Dictionary entries define the phrase in reference to its original context, with users explaining the "9" as slang for a 9mm handgun3.

Platforms

TikTokTwitterInstagram

Timeline

2023-06

Viral video moment generates the phrase

2023-07

Spreads across social media

2023-09

Trend begins declining

2024-01-01

Calm Down Jamal started spreading across social media platforms

View on Google Trends

How to Use This Meme

The TikTok format typically follows a structure:

1

Set the scene by appearing to encounter a celebrity, public figure, or fictional character in an unexpected situation.

2

Use the audio template (DJ Khaled intro, silence, "calm down Jamal" line, laughter, drum hit).

3

Act out a comedic confrontation where the subject does something hostile, embarrassing, or incriminating, timed to the audio cues.

Create Your Own

Cultural Impact

The trend's popularity on TikTok reflected the platform's ability to turn a three-year-old YouTube sketch into a massive viral format almost overnight. RDCworld1's original video sat at a respectable 8.6 million views for years before TikTok users extracted a single line and turned it into a template used over 100,000 times1.

The format also showed how TikTok audio remixing works as a creative ecosystem. Multiple users created their own versions of the sound with different musical backings and timings, each spawning thousands of derivative videos1. @itsnotay_'s version dominated, but the competing remixes from @iishxtmyself and @ashunaustin each found their own audiences.

The crossover into gaming content and animation (the Among Us video hitting 28 million YouTube views) showed the format's flexibility beyond standard TikTok lip-sync territory1.

Fun Facts

The original RDCworld1 video sat on YouTube for nearly three years before TikTok users turned a single line into a viral audio trend1.

The "9" in the catchphrase refers to a 9mm handgun, which Urban Dictionary users helpfully explain in multiple overlapping definitions3.

@jakefellman's Among Us version got roughly 30 times more views on YouTube (28 million) than on TikTok (958,000), one of the rare cases where the YouTube repost massively outperformed the TikTok original1.

The white characters in the original sketch are all played by Black actors in costume, adding an extra layer of satire to the already exaggerated line delivery1.

Derivatives & Variations

Among Us version:

@jakefellman's Among Us-themed take on the format became one of the biggest individual videos, pulling 28 million views on YouTube[1].

Animated versions:

Nutshell Animations created an original animation using the sound format, showing the trend's reach into the animation community[1].

Multiple sound remixes:

At least three distinct TikTok audio versions circulated, each with different musical elements layered around the core "calm down Jamal" clip[1].

Standalone catchphrase:

The line spread to Reddit and other platforms as a text-based meme divorced from the original audio format[1].

Frequently Asked Questions

Calm Down Jamal

2017Catchphrase / TikTok sound trendsemi-active

Also known as: "Don't Pull Out the 9" · "Whoa Calm Down Jamal"

"Whoa, Calm Down Jamal, Don't Pull Out the 9" is a catchphrase from a 2017 RDCworld1 comedy sketch that blew up as a TikTok audio trend in September 2020. The line comes from a satirical YouTube video comparing Black and white sitcom theme songs, where a character mockingly tells another not to pull out a 9mm handgun2. Once remixed into a TikTok sound template, the audio was used in over 102,000 videos by early 2021, powering a wave of comedic confrontation skits2.

tiktok sound trendssitcom parody memesrdcworld1 memessketch comedy memesgun memes

Overview

The meme centers on a specific audio clip pulled from a longer comedy sketch. In the original video, a group of actors playing exaggerated white characters taunt a Black character with the line "Whoa, calm down Jamal, don't pull out the 9," with "the 9" referring to a 9mm pistol1. The delivery is deliberately over-the-top, playing on racial stereotypes for comedic effect within the sketch's broader satire of sitcom tropes.

On TikTok, the audio was packaged into a template that follows a specific structure: a snippet of DJ Khaled's "Wild Thoughts" plays, followed by a beat of silence, then the "calm down Jamal" line, group laughter, a dramatic drum hit, and another pause1. Creators use this audio template to stage short skits depicting fictional hostile encounters, usually with the TikToker confronting a celebrity or public figure.

On December 21, 2017, the YouTube comedy group RDCworld1 uploaded a video titled "BLACK SITCOM THEMES VS WHITE SITCOM THEMES"1. The sketch strings together parodies of theme songs from stereotypically "Black" and "white" sitcoms, connected by a skit set on a basketball court where a group of Black characters faces off against a group of racist white characters (all played by Black actors in exaggerated costumes). At the 0:40 mark, one of the "white" characters delivers the now-iconic line to one of the Black characters1. The video picked up 8.6 million views over the next three years.

The TikTok era of the meme started in early September 2020 when TikToker @itsnotay_ created an original sound that spliced the RDCworld1 audio clip together with DJ Khaled's "Wild Thoughts" and dramatic sound effects1. The original video has since been removed, but the sound quickly spread across the platform.

Origin & Background

Platform
YouTube (source video), TikTok (viral sound trend)
Key People
RDCworld1, @itsnotay_
Date
2017 (origin), 2020 (viral spread)

On December 21, 2017, the YouTube comedy group RDCworld1 uploaded a video titled "BLACK SITCOM THEMES VS WHITE SITCOM THEMES"1. The sketch strings together parodies of theme songs from stereotypically "Black" and "white" sitcoms, connected by a skit set on a basketball court where a group of Black characters faces off against a group of racist white characters (all played by Black actors in exaggerated costumes). At the 0:40 mark, one of the "white" characters delivers the now-iconic line to one of the Black characters1. The video picked up 8.6 million views over the next three years.

The TikTok era of the meme started in early September 2020 when TikToker @itsnotay_ created an original sound that spliced the RDCworld1 audio clip together with DJ Khaled's "Wild Thoughts" and dramatic sound effects1. The original video has since been removed, but the sound quickly spread across the platform.

How It Spread

On September 6, 2020, TikToker @h.fazo posted one of the earliest videos using the sound, depicting a comedic encounter with a police officer who lip-dubs the "calm down Jamal" line while pointing a weapon at the creator1. That video pulled in over 6.6 million views within six months.

Three days later on September 9, @danimonstah uploaded a skit using the format to joke about accused predator Tony Lopez being spotted with a young girl1. It racked up over 12 million views in five months, making it one of the trend's biggest individual hits.

The format spread fast. On September 10, @iishxtmyself posted a version featuring a fictional encounter between herself, Bryce Hall, and Addison Rae, using her own remix of the sound1. Her version was reused over 3,600 times. On September 13, @ashunaustin created yet another remix that was picked up in over 1,700 videos1.

The trend crossed over to gaming content on October 2 when @jakefellman posted an Among Us-themed version set to the sound, getting 958,000 views on TikTok1. When he reposted it to YouTube on October 7, it exploded to over 28 million views1. That same day, Nutshell Animations uploaded an original animated take on the format, pulling 180,000 views1.

By March 2, 2021, @itsnotay_'s original sound alone had been used in over 102,000 TikTok videos, making it the dominant version of the audio on the platform1. The catchphrase also spread beyond TikTok as a standalone quote. On February 8, 2021, a Reddit post on r/teenagers paired the line with a SpongeBob meme and earned over 1,100 upvotes, showing the phrase had taken on a life of its own as a general-purpose internet quip1.

Urban Dictionary entries define the phrase in reference to its original context, with users explaining the "9" as slang for a 9mm handgun3.

Platforms

TikTokTwitterInstagram

Timeline

2023-06

Viral video moment generates the phrase

2023-07

Spreads across social media

2023-09

Trend begins declining

2024-01-01

Calm Down Jamal started spreading across social media platforms

View on Google Trends

How to Use This Meme

The TikTok format typically follows a structure:

1

Set the scene by appearing to encounter a celebrity, public figure, or fictional character in an unexpected situation.

2

Use the audio template (DJ Khaled intro, silence, "calm down Jamal" line, laughter, drum hit).

3

Act out a comedic confrontation where the subject does something hostile, embarrassing, or incriminating, timed to the audio cues.

Create Your Own

Cultural Impact

The trend's popularity on TikTok reflected the platform's ability to turn a three-year-old YouTube sketch into a massive viral format almost overnight. RDCworld1's original video sat at a respectable 8.6 million views for years before TikTok users extracted a single line and turned it into a template used over 100,000 times1.

The format also showed how TikTok audio remixing works as a creative ecosystem. Multiple users created their own versions of the sound with different musical backings and timings, each spawning thousands of derivative videos1. @itsnotay_'s version dominated, but the competing remixes from @iishxtmyself and @ashunaustin each found their own audiences.

The crossover into gaming content and animation (the Among Us video hitting 28 million YouTube views) showed the format's flexibility beyond standard TikTok lip-sync territory1.

Fun Facts

The original RDCworld1 video sat on YouTube for nearly three years before TikTok users turned a single line into a viral audio trend1.

The "9" in the catchphrase refers to a 9mm handgun, which Urban Dictionary users helpfully explain in multiple overlapping definitions3.

@jakefellman's Among Us version got roughly 30 times more views on YouTube (28 million) than on TikTok (958,000), one of the rare cases where the YouTube repost massively outperformed the TikTok original1.

The white characters in the original sketch are all played by Black actors in costume, adding an extra layer of satire to the already exaggerated line delivery1.

Derivatives & Variations

Among Us version:

@jakefellman's Among Us-themed take on the format became one of the biggest individual videos, pulling 28 million views on YouTube[1].

Animated versions:

Nutshell Animations created an original animation using the sound format, showing the trend's reach into the animation community[1].

Multiple sound remixes:

At least three distinct TikTok audio versions circulated, each with different musical elements layered around the core "calm down Jamal" clip[1].

Standalone catchphrase:

The line spread to Reddit and other platforms as a text-based meme divorced from the original audio format[1].

Frequently Asked Questions