The human mind is a feeble organ. One day your brain is functioning normally, and the next all it can do is replay “that’s that me espresso” on a loop. Currently No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100, Sabrina Carpenter’s sugarplum disco single is a top contender for song of the summer. But lo and behold, there may be a competitor on the horizon. I’m talking about Tinashe’s “Nasty,” which is rocketing up Spotify’s viral charts thanks to a meme.
Tinashe released “Nasty” last month as the lead single to her upcoming album BB/Ang3l Pt. 2 — Quantum Baby. But it didn’t really pop off until a few weeks later, when an X user reposted a 2023 TikTok of a bespectacled British dancer named Nate, who uses the handle @nates.vibe. In the initial video, Nate is getting, well, nasty, with his instructor to soca music, impressively limber as he winds, grinds, and wags his tongue. In the memed version of the video, the original audio has been replaced with “Nasty.”
Of course it went viral. “Nerdy white boy with surprise flavor” is one of the internet’s favorite demographic categories. People love when a guy who looks like a T-Mobile customer-service employee reveals that he’s got a little rhythm in his bones. He’s also just an impressive dancer. How many people can twerk in five-inch heels?
Like his fellow countryman Adele, Nate appears to be fond of Caribbean culture — he posted the dance after going all out for Carnival. On his page, he also can be found booty popping and finger-biting to music from other parts of the globe, from reggaeton to African pop. Tinashe has posted several replies of herself dancing on top of the original video, copying both his style — white T-shirt, joggers, glasses — and his freaky moves. Nate has also reacted to Tinashe’s response with the self-aware hashtag #nastywhiteboy. It’s getting a little out of hand here, but the pop star is criminally underrated and hasn’t had a Billboard hit in eight years. Anything to get Tinashe her flowers.
@tinashe Like come onnn #greenscreenvideo
♬ Nasty - Tinashe
