Husband's misunderstood, completely made-up lyrics to popular classic rap song goes viral
Something tells me they weren’t rapping about a hippopotamus.

Husband's made-up lyrics to a popular song are hilarious.
Every person that enjoys listening to music has belted out incorrect lyrics before, either because you misheard them or you knew you had no idea what they said so you just made up words that fit. Even in today's information age when lyrics are literally a few clicks away, people still sing the wrong words to songs. It gives it a little extra flavor. Think of it like lyric seasoning.
There was once a whole segment of people who learned that Def Leppard wasn't singing "pour some shook up ramen" from a car cell phone commercial in 2002. Songs that people heard growing up before the invention of the internet will forever be sung with the wrong lyrics. But this guy's completely made-up hilarious lyrics probably take the crown for most creative lyric swap.
Jay, who shares the TikTok account @yourstrulyaj with his wife, was filmed rapping his heart out to Bones Thugs-N-Harmony's "Tha Crossroads." He knew every word that shot out of the speaker at warp speed...or at least it looked like he did.
His wife, who was recording, stopped the music and asked, "What does he say?" That's when the truth came out. Jay said, "I don't know, I just be making stuff up." But his lip syncing was so convincing, it looked as if he was singing the lyrics word for word. So if he wasn't singing the correct lyrics, what the heck was he saying?
When she asked what he was saying while the song was playing, his answers left commenters in stitches.
"Hippopotamus. Group of guys gottemus."
His wife can be heard wheezing with laughter at his confession, but he's undeterred and continues singing, "What we gonna do when there ain't nowhere to hide." Commenters find his lyrics just as amusing as his wife does, including singer-songwriter, Muni Long who asked, "How you get Hippopotamus, Jay?"
"I been listening to this for 30 years and still don't know the lyrics. His are good as any," one person laughs.
"Don't matter what he said...his lip sync game was on point...didn't miss a beat," someone writes.
"Let's be honest when you actually see the lyrics to this epic song it's even hard to keep up with the real words. Bone thus on another level," someone admits.
It's true, that members of that group, especially Bizzy Bone, known for his rapid fire lyrics, rap at a speed even other professional rappers would be challenged to keep up with. Jay gets a pass on not knowing the words, and his wife should get him a gold sticker for most creative lyrical styling.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."