September of this year will mark the 10th anniversary of the release of "Weird Al" Yankovic's satirical production of White & Nerdy. Here're a few things you may have not noticed (or forgot) happened in the video...
1. Key & Peele
You noticed the gangsters in the very beginning of the video, but you didn't realize those gangsters were Comedy Central's very own Key and Peele! Way before they had their own show and became uber famous as the comedy duo of the 21st century, they were riding ' in a Pimp-Blue '67 down Yankovic's suburb.
2. Custom Segway i2
Segway released its first product in 2001, and this video was made in 2006; the Segway i2 was pretty new back then, I'm talkin' August release date. They were (at the time) fairly expensive, roughly $5,000.00, and even then the model in the video is custom. Although Yankovic is claiming he's white, nerdy, and unworthy of the gangster life, he must be hustlin' somethin' if he's riding around on a custom Segway i2 in 2006.
3. Oh yeah, MySpace was a thing
"Got people begin' for my top 8 spaces" which are: Bill Gates, Napoleon Dynamite, Mr. Peabody, Albert Einstein, Screech, Frodo, Pee Wee Herman, and Tom.
4. The pure white-ness
It's just everywhere, man. The feels! They even got Donny Osmond, man.
*cue emoji face with tears of laughter*
5. Mayonnaise sandwiches
I can't. Like really Weird Al? Way to comment on all us low-income folks who, sometimes, had only enough for a mayo sandwich. We don't have custom Segway's; That's not gangsta' that's #realshit
6. ROTFLOL
Let's be real... It took you forever back then to realize that this meant "Rolling On The Floor, Laughing Out Loud." Even though we were just reaching our peak of txt lingo and acronyms, we were still clueless as to what they actually meant at times. However, you were the MVP of your friend group if you could spit this into any convo at the lunch table!
7. The real meaning and significance of the song
Although it's fun to laugh at "Weird Al" and all of his witty humor, he is making a deeper commentary on white privilege and our society's constant need to prey on black culture. Trying so hard to "roll with the gangsters," will definitely come across as offensive if you are white. No seriously, stop. Stop appropriating cultures that are not your own, and start appreciating them for their entirety. #keepitrealAmerica
