Examples Of Variant Forms Of "Where My People At?" Questions From Two YouTube Discussion Threads For Nigerian Singer Yemi Alade

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series on the question "Where my people at?" and its variant forms such as "Where my Nigerians [or another nation's population etc.] at?"

Part II of this pancocojams series presents examples of variant forms of the question "Where my people at?" and from two discussion threads for Nigerian singer Yemi Alade.

I'm particularly interested in examples from online commenters who don't appear to be from (or in) the United States.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/what-where-its-at-and-where-my-people.html for Part I of that series. Part I presents some general information about and meanings for the question "Where my people at?" and the earlier (?) idiom "Where it's at"?

This post also showcases a YouTube sound file for Chris Kenner's 1961 R&B song "I Like It Like That" which includes the phrase "where it's at". This post also showcase two video examples that include the lyrics "Where my people at?"

The content of this post is presented for cultural and linguistic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Yemi Alade for her musical legacy and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE EXAMPLES FOUND IN THIS POST
As mentioned in the preface to this post, I'm particularly interested in the use of "Where my people at?" and its variant forms (such as "Where my Cameroonians at? but also including questions such as "Where are all my Kenyans?") by people outside of the United States. For that reason, the examples that are presented here are mostly from discussion threads for contemporary African music. One example from a contemporary South American video's discussion thread is also included in this post. These are only a few of the examples of "Where my people at" (and its variant forms) that I found in various YouTube discussion threads.

I don't know when the question "Where my people at?" (and its variant forms that end in the word "at") were first posted by non-Americans in YouTube discussion threads, but I think that it probably was around 2015.

I think that non-Africans' use of "Where my people at?" (and its variant forms that end in the word "at") were probably copied from African Americans or from Africans living in the United States. However, since I found an example of "Where my girls at?" and other forms of that question in the Xhosa Gospel song which was performed recorded by the South African Gospel Choir Joyous Celebration in 2012 I'm questioning that assumption (or the assumption that that "Where my people at?" and its variant forms that end with the word "at") were popularized by the drag queen Roxxy Andrews in her improvised recording song challenge in a 2013 episode of RuPaul's Drag Race. Click Part I of this post for that video and my comments about it.

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UNDERLYING REASONS FOR THE USE OF "WHERE MY PEOPLE AT?" AND ITS VARIANT FORMS IN YOUTUBE DISCUSSION THREADS
These "Where my people at?" questions and their responses are given in YouTube discussion threads without any stated underlying reasons. These are my speculations as to some of the reasons why these questions are asked and responses are given in YouTube discussion threads.

I believe that a number of commenters asks a form of the question "Where my people at?" as a "call" to other commenters from their nation (or ethnic group, or region, or city, or other group) to "respond". This nation signing call & response serves the following purposes:
-demonstrates that there are other people from that population watching that video and reading its discussion thread

-serves as a way to promote that population

-serves as a means of promoting that population [for instance, they want to demonstrate that that population is up to date with popular music]

-serves a social function for people who are members of that population (makes them feel good; helps them feel connected with others)

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SELECTED EXAMPLES
This is only a very small number of examples that I've collected online from those posting on discussion threads for non-African American music and from those posting on music recorded by African Americans. Also, the examples given below aren't even all of the examples from the showcased discussion threads.

EXAMPLE A
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DPL4dPAXyg
Yemi Alade - Oh My Gosh (Official Video), Sep 21, 2018

1. kennia nazaire, 2018
"Where my Haitians at?"

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REPLY
2. Mne FREDLIN Pierre, 2018
"kennia nazaire 🇭🇹 🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹"

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REPLY
3. The BRIDGE 54, 2018
"Present 🇭🇹"

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REPLY
4. Tueysie Morilus, 2018
"Im here gyal"

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REPLY
5. Tueysie Morilus, 2018
"🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹"

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REPLY
6. ♥Haitian Sensation♥, 2018
"Over here."

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REPLY
7. Pepe Marley, 2018
"I'm here"

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REPLY
8. Zachary August, 2018
"Right here"

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REPLY
9. Ginette Edmond, 2018
"Here 😘🇭🇹🇭🇹"

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REPLY
10. Kenny D., 2019
"nou laaa"
-snip-
I'm not sure of the Haitian Creole meaning of nou laaa". I think it's something having to do with "you". Help with this translation please!

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11. Tembeng Pamela, 2018
"Watching from Dubai before one mili,where my Cameroon peopleee"

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REPLY
12. Andy Khuntakinte, 2018
"Tembeng Pamela hi pamelah"

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REPLY
13. Tembeng Pamela, 2018
"@Andy Khuntakinte hello"

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14. Yacine Ndiaye, 2018
"where are my senegalese people who loveeeee yemi. 😍❤"

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REPLY
15. elisabeth balde, 2018
"Yacine Ndiaye here 🙋🏾🙋🏾🙋🏾"

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16. William Wilombe, 2018
"Watching before 1mil from TANZANIA where my Tanzanians🇹🇿🇹🇿🇹🇿"
-snip-
Notice that some of these questions [what I refer to as "calls"] have no replies ["responses"] or at least didn't have any at the time that I retrieved these comments. That doesn't change what I think is the underlying reasons for these "calls".

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17. Lula Abdi, 2019
"Where my Africans from the east 🇿🇦🇸🇴🇸🇸🇿🇦🇸🇴"

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18. haydensmakeup, 2019
"🇸🇱 girl were you at"
-snip-
SL= Sierra Leone

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19. i dare you to subscribe !!, 2018
A QUEEN
WIG SNATCHED
YOU'RE AMAZING
I'M SHOOK
Ps: where are my african queens at?? Edit: Love you all
-snip-
The portions of this comment written in bold font were that way in the discussion thread.

"Having one's wig snatched" is a vernacular idiom that originated with (mostly) African American drag queens that means being overwhelmed with admiration about someone or something. "I'm shook" basically means the same thing.

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20. tamika hyatt, 2019
"Where all my African FAM at.
Love to yemi from Jamaica.💯🔥💜💚💛🔥💯"

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EXAMPLE B
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puV5jZcTzJI
Yemi Alade - How I Feel (Official Video)
Yemi Alade, Jun 15, 2018

1. Steffi Macharia, 2018
"Kenyans assemble here and show support"

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REPLY
2. J Olisa, 2018
"Steffi Macharia Tuko ndani 🇰🇪🙌🏽"

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REPLY
3. Dauda Olawale, 2018
"green of Africa"
-snip-
I believe that "green" is a typo for "queen".

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REPLY
4. Gibson 254, 2019
"Are there Kenyans in the house?
By the show of likes 👍
How we love Yemi"
-snip-
When I retrieved this question, there was "85" likes.

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REPLY
5. Odigie Osamu, 2018
"Were are my Nigerians people we are ruling till infinity"
-snip-
When I retrieved this question, there were "16" likes.

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6. Steffi Macharia, 2018
"Kenyans assemble here and show support"

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REPLY
7. J Olisa, 2018
"Steffi Macharia Tuko ndani 🇰🇪🙌🏽"
-snip-
Google translate from Swahili to English: "We're inside"

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REPLY
8. Mashariki Post, 2018
"The East African Circuit (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Comoros) Tumesema ya kwamba tunakubali maneno yako yemi. Now, roll call"
-snip-
Google translate from Swahili to English: We have said that we accept your words

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REPLY
9. [name not retrieved], 2018
"Where are ma Southern African ppl in here??Naija Music blow ma mind🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇱🇸🇱🇸🇱🇸💃🏿💃🏿💃🏿💃🏿😍😍😍😍😍🍑🍑🍑🍸🍸🍸LOVE from DUBLIN IRELAND.."

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REPLY
10. Adaye Martine, 2019
"Salut"

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REPLY
11. Letwin Nyamadzawo, 2019
"🙋"

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REPLY
12. France-lise Savonnier, 2019
"🤩🤩🤩"

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