Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series on the 2020 song "Extra (Like O.M.G.)" which is performed by an unnamed female singers, in large part, to promote the L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G. Dolls brand of toys.
Part II of this pancocojams series showcases the official YouTube video of "Extra (Like O.M.G.)" and presents my unofficial description of that video. Part II presents some information and comments about the negative and positive vernacular meanings of the word "extra". In addition, Part II presents my opinion about how the "Extra (Like O.M.G.)" song and video appears to have been influenced by some aspects of African American culture.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2020/04/lol-surprise-omg-dolls-extra-like-omg.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. Part I presents some information about L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G. Dolls brand. Part I also showcases the 2020 official YouTube video of the song "Extra (Like O.M.G.)" and presents the lyrics for that song.
The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the composer/s of this song and its unnamed singers. Thanks also to all those who were associated with this embedded video and thanks to the publisher of that official YouTube video. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of the lyric video whose link is given in the song lyrics section.
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SHOWCASE VIDEO: L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G. Dolls | NEW Extra (Like O.M.G.) Official Music Video
L.O.L. Surprise!, Apr 9, 2020
-snip-
total # of views 1,618,175 as of April 17, 2020 at 9:05 AM EDT
Total # of likes- 19K
total # of dislikes-3.4K
comments are turned off
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MY GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THIS VIDEO
This video is a mix of human and animated people and scenes. The video also includes flashing, streaming white and color strobe lights special effects.
The video opens up showing two White females who are dressed like how some adults think "typical" American girls dress in their late teens or early twenties. The girls are standing outside an area where a multiracial population of "typically dressed" females and males are congregating. A long food truck is shown in that scene. Some of the people are seated at several outdoor tables. The camera focuses on those two females and on a group of females and males who are enjoying themselves seated at one of those tables.
The above mentioned girls notice an animated car zooming up. One of the O.M.G. dolls exits the car carrying a number of packages (presumably of fashion attire). She drops a necklace that she's wearing and one of the two girls picks it up and they both go into the building that she saw the O.M.G doll enter. The building is a beauty salon. The salon has human and animated patrons/scenes. The girls get a complete make-over (hair, make up, and fashion) so that they look "extra". They then join the first O.M.G. doll and other O.M.G. dolls on a fashion show runway. Afterwards, they return to the outdoor scene where the video began. One of the girls gives the necklace to the first O.M. G. doll. That doll gives the necklace to that girl as a present. The video ends with the two girls gifting some of their "extra" accessories to males and females seated around the picnic table.
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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE ABOUT THE VERNACULAR MEANING OF THE ENGLISH WORD "EXTRA"
The word "extra" is usually given at least mildly negative meanings. However, in the context of the song "Extra (Like O.M.G.)", "extra" is considered something very positive.
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NEGATIVE VERNACULAR MEANINGS FOR THE WORD "EXTRA"
From https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=extra
[Numbers added on pancocojams for referencing purposes only]
1. "extra
over the top
excessive, dramatic behavior
way too much
Robert's behavior was extra when he refused to accept Anna's apology."
by Anonymous September 09, 2003
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2. "extra
Someone who is over the top for completely unnecessary reasons. They will go out of their way to prove this.
Austin made a 30 page assignment when only 20 pages were required. He is extra.
by Simonak23456 February 24, 2017
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Here's an urban dictionary entry for "over the top"
From https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=over%20the%20top
"over the top
beyond reasonable limits, outlandish
This situation is over the top. Someone do something to stop all this bickering.
by The Return of Light Joker September 13, 2009
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POSITIVE VERNACULAR MEANINGS FOR "BEING EXTRA"
Here's one positive- or at least mildly positive- online definition of "extra":
From https://www.bustle.com/p/what-does-extra-mean-this-slang-term-is-for-the-drama-queens-in-your-life-34530 What Does "Extra" Mean? This Slang Term Is For The Drama Queens In Your Life
By MADDY FOLEY, Feb. 1, 2017
"Around 2015, "extra" began to make an appearance on lists of new slang, accompanied by now-well-known terms like "slay," "squad," "thirsty" and " on fleek." While most of these words have since been moved out of our vernacular rotation, "extra" has remained. And just to be clear, when I say that those words have been removed from our vernacular, I am referring to the fact that many of them originated in AAVE, were adopted by white folks, used heavily by white folks, and then dropped — by white folks. If you're going to use these terms, understand where and how they originate, my dudes.
[...]
The term itself, often phrased as "so extra" or "super extra," has moved from a negative connotation to a sort of loving irritation — mocking, but not derogatory. The pal who is a pain in the ass, but whom you honestly kind of admire for it. There are also the people who happily claim the title of "extra." Your friend who hears "quiet night in" and arrives fully contoured in an all-velvet ensemble — extra. When your mom says she's cooking a light dinner and five courses are involved — extra.
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I think the word "slay" is still relatively widely used by commenters who are Black (if not African Americans), at least in a number of YouTube music video discussion threads.
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In my opinion, the word "extra" in the song "Extra (Like O.M.G.)" is a clip of the word "extraordinary". In the context of this song, "extra" is considered to be something good that is beyond the ordinary.
In the song "Extra (Like O. M. G."), the singer brags about herself, (compliments herself, gives herself big ups, pats herself on the back). As such, "Extra (Like O.M.G.)" is comparable in its self-boasting lyrics to Michael Jackson's 1987 hit song "I'm Bad".
The singer in "Extra (Like O.M.G.) wants to much more than ordinary. She wants to be noticed and complimented for her fashion (among other aspects of herself). This song epitomizes and promotes the African American concept of "swag". Here's a definition of "swag" that is found on https://ell.stackexchange.com/questions/48093/swag-slang-what-does-this-word-really-mean
"...UPDATE: February 01, 2018, the OED has recently added the word swag in its dictionary. Oxford Online Dictionaries reports
A new entry has been added for swag, derived from swagger, and used in slang to denote ‘bold self-assurance in style or manner’, or ‘an air of great self-confidence or superiority’. The OED’s first citation for this particular sense comes from the track ‘December 4th’ on Jay-Z’s The Black Album (2003): ‘My self-esteem went through the roof, man. I got my swag.’ This is the fifth OED citation attributed to Jay-Z."...
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This definition of "swag": [having a or acting like you have a] ‘bold self-assurance in style or manner’, or ‘an air of great self-confidence or superiority’ fits the positive definition of "extra" that I believe the "Extra (Like O.M. G.)" song and video reflects and promotes.
"Extra Extra with the swag
I’m gonna brag
I’m just Extra ordinary
Ain’t nothin wrong with that"
-snip-
That said, everyone doesn't agree that these are positive attributes and "there's nothing wrong with that".
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CONCERNS ABOUT LOL OMG DOLLS AND THEIR SONGS & VIDEOS
Here's a comment from the discussion thread for the lyric video of "Extra (Like O.M.G" that expresses concern about the song's (and its video's) promotion of materialism (i.e. in the video the O.M.G. doll is shown with an arm full of packages she bought and in the song's lyrics she says that "nothing is cheap/head to my feet".
Peridot_Lapis UwU, 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qz2e1_mK8k8
"song i good butn its teaching kids everything they wear should be expensive and they should brag and fashion is everything"
Furthermore, that song promotes the position that being the center of attention (because of the way you look) is a good thing.
I also have concerns about the way that "MGA Entertainment Inc's videos and their dolls themselves attempt to normalize young girls wearing make-up and having boyfriends. The O.M.G. dolls are supposed to represent teenagers, but they and their L.O.L Surprise little sister dolls are marketed to (mostly) girls who are much younger than teenagers.
I wonder if other people indicated their disapproval of these dolls and the ways that these dolls are being marketed to young, impressionable girls are the reasons why that official YouTube video's publisher disallowed comments.
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AFRICAN AMERICAN INFLUENCES IN THE "EXTRA (LIKE OMG)" SONG AND VIDEO
As previously indicated in Part I of this pancocojams series and in this Part II post of this series, the lyrics for the song "Extra (Like O.M.G.") are mostly comprised of African American Vernacular English.
The first verse of that song include several African American Vernacular English terms/phrases (albeit that the terms aren't authentic is their use)
I’m pullin up in a coupe
24 karat my hoops pulling
yo slay
edges is laid
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Read my comments in Part I about how the African American terms "yo slay" and "edges is laid" are inauthentic (i.e. African Americans don't use these words that way.) Here's part of my comments:
Here's a definition of "edges laid" from https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Edges%20laid
"Edges laid
When the "baby hairs" or "edges of your hair are looking sleek and bomb
Can be used for all races, but is particularly used between black women
"Dang Alisha, your edges laid girl."...
by Angless March 24, 2017
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In the context of that urbandictionary.com quote and in the context of the "Extra (Like O.M.G.)" song, "edges laid" is a compliment that means those edges are looking good. "Laid" also has a double meaning in the context of edges/baby hair because the goal is to have those hairs remain laying down on one's forehead and near one's ears.
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The large hoop style earrings are associated with some urban/street African American teens and young adults. Other clothing fashions and hair styles that the two teenage girls and the O.M.G. dolls in the video had also reflect current African American "over the top" styles, for instance, the colored yarn in the multiple extensions that one of the girls received in her make over.
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The way the song "Extra (Like O.M.G.) is performed-its percussive beat and its call & response format for a brief portion of the song ("I did not come here to play (no)
pullin it everyday (oh)" also demonstrates the way that this song was influenced by African American culture.
I don't know whether this song is actually categorized as "Hip Hop/R&B", but I've categorized it as such, because of its lyrics and the way the song sounds.
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This concludes Part II of this pancocojams series.
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