The hilarious origins of Louis Theroux’s rap “My Money Don’t Jiggle Jiggle” which is currently taking TikTok by storm has been revealed online.
An acclaimed writer, host and documentarian, Theroux has recently been in the spotlight on social media for quite different reasons.
It all started when Manchester-based DJ/producer duo Duke & Jones decided to remix a segment of a recent interview Theroux gave to presenter Amelia Dimoldenberg for the hit web series. Chicken shop date.
During the interview, Theroux recalled how, during an episode of his late ’90s documentary series The bizarre weekends of Louis Théroux for BBC, he ended up doing a live rap.
The episode, titled “Gangsta Rap”, first aired on October 30, 2000 and saw Theroux travel to New Orleans to explore the “Dirty South” rap scene.
During the episode, two lyricists, named Reece and Bigelow, helped Theroux write his own rap that touched on his love of red wine, his Fiat car, and the west London neighborhood of Shepherd’s Bush.
A memorable segment of the cult British series, Theroux has revisited his all-too-brief rap career with wry humor several times over the years, including an appearance on the show. The Russell Howard Hour.
However, Duke & Jones only noticed it after they told the story, the rap and all, on Chicken shop date.
Sensing an opportunity to strike some viral gold, they remixed the audio, automatically setting Theroux’s rap to a catchy beat to create the popular TikTok audio track.
Check it here.
In the clip, Theroux can be heard explaining to Dimoldenberg that he once rapped on an episode of weird weekendsbefore launching into a segment of the verse.
Known for their habit of adding an automatic setting to random videos on the internet, the duo’s popularity grew further following Theroux’s remix, which has been viewed more than 16 million times on TikTok.
Both fun and yet oddly catchy, the remix also sparked a viral craze among TikTok users, with fans flocking to create their own fun dance routines to go along with the track.
Chicken Shop Date host Dimoldenberg was among those who got in on the act with a funky dance effort. You can see it here.
There was this awesome synchronized effort from Jess Qualter and a friend. This version is here.
Marianne Bardgett, meanwhile, had no problem performing a version of the dance in front of what appeared to be her slightly puzzled mother. Watch it here.
Now the BBC has stepped in by sharing footage of the original rap recorded over 20 years ago.
In the clip, a fresh-faced Theroux can be seen working on the lyrics with Reece and Bigelow.
A simple drumbeat plays in the studio and the documentarist works his flow, under the eyes of the two MCs with pleasure and amusement.
The video can be viewed here.
The BBC archive footage has been viewed more than 6 million times, with fans flocking to express their approval of Theroux’s impressive rapping skills.
T3nno said: ‘It’s the pinnacle of the UK rap scene’ with darkspark_lexo writing that it’s ‘criminal it’s not on Spotify’.
Theroux had a lot of admirers with _b_e_l_l_a_senior commenting that there was “something about hearing someone with a fancy English accent rapping.”
Elbellxo, meanwhile, called the rap “iconic” with Salum68 stating, “I could watch Louis Theroux all day any day.”
Newsweek has contacted Theroux and Duke & Jones for comment.
Santiago Felipe / Contributor/Getty
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