The latest song to take over TikTok isn’t a pop hit or a fun remix. Instead millions are listening to a squeaky, prepubescent voice singing about a Fortnite item that’s no longer in the game. Chug Jug might be vaulted in the video game, but that hasn’t stopped it from delighting millions of people on social media.
TikTok tune du jour “Chug Jug with You” has its origins in two other songs: disco funk hit “American Boy” by Estelle and Kanye West, and “Let’s Play Fortnite,” a 16-second parody by YouTuber CM Skits. “Let’s Play Fortnite” is grating, with off-beat lyrics like “You can take me to Moisty Mire but not Loot Lake” and “We can be pro Fortnite gamers.” CM Skits’ video has just 90,000 views, but it caught the attention of a 13-year-old boy who goes by the name Leviathan.
Leviathan, a content creator on YouTube, thought the video was funny, so he decided to write a longer version of the song CM Skits started. He wrote additional lyrics, recorded it in his bedroom, and posted it on Soundcloud in late 2018. Somehow, two years later, if you like video games and are on TikTok, “Chug Jug with You” is probably all over your FYP. People are taking the audio clip and adding their own goofy comments to the song, piggybacking onto the trend.
The TikTok feed for the sound has a ton of videos of people lip synching and vibing to the song. Many videos simply comment on how great of a singer Leviathan is — which is funny because, as Leviathan told Polygon over Discord, he intentionally made his voice sound high-pitched. The idea was to make himself sound even younger than 13. While that might sound annoying in theory, it’s actually adorable. It helps that Leviathan enunciates every word in a perfectly angelic voice.
One of the most popular videos on the tag is this one, where Fairybloobs bops to the music and says, “I just know this kids mom is an English teacher bc this pronunciation is godly.” This video alone has over 4.8 million views — more than Leviathan’s original video on YouTube.
@fairybloobs sounds like if mr. clean had a son that could sing idk
♬ Chug jug with you - Frend?
What’s more, the trend has become big enough that some young people might now associate the melody with the Fortnite parody, rather than the original 2008 Estelle song. One TikTok remarks, “I don’t even remember what the original song’s lyrics are. Help.”
@ashleyjliao just when i think i know the original lyrics, it escapes me #fyp
♬ Chug jug with you - Frend?
“Chug Jug with You” is riddled with hyper-specific Fortnite references, like areas of the ever-changing map. It’s particularly cute when Leviathan sings, “Yeah Fortnite we ’bout to get down, get down.” Despite listening to the clip over and over again, I’m not sure it’ll ever get old — that’s how catchy it is.
The song has become a cultural force — dripping onto the feeds of people who have never played nor care about Fortnite.
“I didn’t really expect the song to get popular at all,” Leviathan told Polygon. “I made the song as a joke with a couple friends and posted it to Soundcloud to see what would happen.”
If you’d like to listen to “Chug Jug with You,” you can check it out on Leviathan’s YouTube channel now.