Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post documents selected examples of forms of the African American originated idioms "killing it", "killed it " and a form of the expression "I'm Dead" in discussion threads for a Nigerian based YouTube dance challenge video and/or a Nigerian Afrobeat music video.
The content of this post is presented for linguistic, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are featured in these showcase videos. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post, and thanks to the publisher of these videos on YouTube.
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This post is part of an ongoing pancocojams series on linguistics. Pancocojams' linguistics posts document and consider aspects of language use among African people and/or people of African descent, including traditional African languages, African American Vernacular English, Caribbean Patois, African Pidgin English, and other Pidgin languages.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/06/what-killing-it-means-how-it-got-those.html for a related 2013 pancocojams post entitled "African American Vernacular English: What "Killing It" Means & How It Got Those Slang Meanings".
Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/03/africans-use-of-african-american.html for the March 22, 2017 pancocojams post "Africans Use Of African American Vernacular English Terms In The Discussion Thread Of Skales' "Shake Body" Official YouTube Video (Part I: A-K). Skales is also a Nigerian recording artist. The linked post documents examples of comments from that video's discussion thread that contain "killing it" and other African American originated vernacular sayings.
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SHOWCASE VIDEO #1: Who Killed Makolongulu? 1,2,3 or 4?
BM Official Published on Aug 21, 2016
Comment below on who killed this dance!
-snip-
"Makolongulu" is a Nigerian dance. I think it is the same as or very similar to Ndombolo.
BM, a Nigerian Afrobeat recording artist, has several other "Who Killed ___?" compilation videos. These videos are short clips of (usually) women dancing a particular type of Nigerian dance. Viewers are then asked to indicate which dance they believe danced the best (i.e. "killed it".) The background music for each video is a song that BM recorded.
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SELECTED EXAMPLES OF "KILLED IT" AND "__ KILLED ME" FROM A DISCUSSION THREAD FOR A NIGERIAN DANCE CHALLENGE VIDEO
Vernacular terms often have more than one meaning. The vernacular meaning of "killed it" that is pertinent for this post is "did something very very well".
Several comments in this section document the use of "[she] killed me". That vernacular form of "killed" appears to denote that the commenter has a very strong amount of attraction for the woman (who kills him) because of her physical beauty and sensuality.
Or
In the context of these examples in which viewers were supposed to indicate which dancer "killed it" (danced the best), the term "[__] killed me" may mean that person filled them with strong positive emotions because of the quality of the person's dancing or some other reason/s besides the dancer[s]' physical beauty and sensuality.
I don't believe that this vernacular form [i.e. "she or he killed me"] with either of those positive meanings is found among African Americans or other Americans.
file:///C:/Users/azizi/Downloads/USA-Idioms%20(3).pdf "US Slang, Idioms, or Other Frequently Heard Expressions" gives this meaning for the similar American idiom "You kill me": "You are very funny OR you are making things difficult for me"
-snip-
Like all of these "killing" sayings, "You kill me" is a figurative saying (since they don't really mean that anyone will be or has been physically murdered). An explanation for the second meaning of "You kill me" (as given above) in the United States is that a person caused trouble or the potential for trouble because of his or her foolish words or actions.
Here are selected comments from this showcase video's discussion thread.
These examples are given in chronological order with the oldest comment given first based on its publishing month/year. Numbers are assigned for referencing purposes only
1. BAMUJOBS, 2016
"1 killed Makolongulu, but 4 killed me. She's fyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyn."
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2. Luke Diego, 2016
"number 1 oooo, she killed both makolongulu and me"
-snip-
Regarding the "oooo"s in this comment, if I understand it correctly, in Yoruba language, one or more "o's at the end of a sentence or a statement emphasizes that sentence or statement.
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3. Marsha Anis, 2017
"1she killed. she flow like liquid.."
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4. Montoute jonathan, 2017
"i think exactly the same lool #4 killed me alsoo she's so beautiful"
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I think "lool" is the text/internet term "lol" ("laughing out loud")
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5. Amisa Kumwene, 2017
"2&4 killed me"person f
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6. Madam Africa, 2017
"If you a fool if you did not pick #1 honestly she murder it like come on now give credit where it is due"
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7. Anime god, 2017
"1 killed that all the way"
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8. Zaafirah013
"1 was the best. My favorite. She killed it. A natural."
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9. Yacouba Bogre
"3 killed makologulu"
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10. Dougie DoinIt
"they all killed it nobody in native USA can do it"
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SHOWCASE #2: Falz - Marry Me (Official Video) ft. Yemi Alade, Poe
Falz, VEVO Published on Dec 5, 2014
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/09/falz-featuring-yemi-alade-poe-marry-me.html for Part I of a two part pancocojams series about this song. Part I includes this video and lyrics for this song. The link for Part II is included in that post. Part II includes selected comments from this video's discussion thread and from two other Nigerian based online discussion threads about features of Yoruba (Nigeria) language.
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SELECTED EXAMPLES OF "KILLED IT", "KILLING IT" AND "I'M DEAD" FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD FOR THIS VIDEO
Vernacular terms often have more than one meaning. The vernacular meaning of "killed it"/"killing it" that is pertinent for this post is "did something or doing something very very well".
The only example in this discussion thread that has a form similar to "[___] killed me" is given as #16 which includes the statement "Her Smiles kills me." I think this sentence means that the commenter really loves the female singer's smile, but this form is different from any African American vernacular forms of "kills"/murder etc".
Then again, there is the Roberta Flack hit song "Killing Me Softly With His Song" which I think means that the person making the comment felt such strong emotions while hearing that song that she figuratively felt she was dying.
The African American originated saying "I'm dead" (which is sometimes shortened to "Dead") means that someone said or did something that was or is hilarious. "I'm dead" is a shortened form of the figurative expression "I died laughing" (meaning I laughed so hard [so much] that my stomach or ribs hurt and I felt like I was dying."
Here are selected comments from this showcase video's discussion thread:
These examples are given in chronological order with the oldest comment given first based on its publishing month/year. Numbers are assigned for referencing purposes only.
1. Nalouchaa, 2015
"Loool OMG im dead !!! The end of the video killed me!!! Awesome work guys! Love the song !! Love the video !! Damn there were some handsome men at this reception lol"
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2. Yama S, 2015
"The ending killed me. I can't stop laughing. I'm surprised I manged to type this"
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3. Ohunene S., 2015
"+ukia Stardoll laff wan kill me.
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4. EverydaypeoplebyLydia, 2015
"I die oooo .... This guy has killed me .. LOL"
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5. Adnan Bashorun, 2015
"ma boi falz killed it"
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6. GushGossipBlog, 2015
"I'm in LOVE with this song & video - hilarious! Falz, POE & Yemi killed it - so refreshing for the Nigerian
music scene <3"
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7. sight read, 2015
"Haahahahaha #falz no go kill person ooooooh, dis video is so hilarious I really enjoyed it, big up #yemi-alade pon dis one. ..."
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8. YaylowTV, 2015
"Nice work Falz. +Yemi Alade, you killed the hook."
-snip-
"You killed the hook" = You sang the hook (chorus) really really well. An equivalent African American Vernacular English term that I haven't found in Nigerian or other African based YouTube videos' discussion threads is "sang" (in its African American vernacular present tense form, which means "to sing very well, especially to sing soulfully very well.)
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9. dpencilpusher, 2015
"Falz, Yemi & Poe killed it. Video goes too well with the song. Watched it 3 times already; cracked me up each time. Also, big kudos to the actresses who synced with the lyrics, they nailed it."
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10. timithankgod, 2015
Hahahahahahahahahahahahah i don die o... funny video
-snip-
I think that the equivalent African American vernacular saying for " i don die o" is I’m dead” which also later evolved to "Dead".
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11. Ifeanyi Ilogbaka, 2015
"Yemi alade killed it on this one.she is the reason I like d song"
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12. garba baba, 2015
"Love this song, they kill it all"
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13. Child Of The Rift, 2016
"LMAO You just mudered me!"
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14. Tobi Daada, 2016
"Falz. Killing it on a steady."
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15. Adesewa, 2016
"oh my gosh this video killed me"
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16. Victor PANCHO, 2016
"OK, i give up... i cant stay quiet, i dont know which i like here on this video, is it Falz, Yemi Alade, Poe or Poe's Bride?? I'm so thrilled by that bride, Her Smiles kills me... That make up on her, Golden!! Wetin!? How una jst deh make my heart pound andytime i watch this video!!???"
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17. Elizabeth Onyekwere, 2017
"OMG.....Laugh wan kill me die...hahahahaaa..why did she faint lol?"
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