Thank Erica Banks for the "Buss It" Challenge, the Latest Viral TikTok Trend

Erica Banks shares her thoughts on the super-viral "Buss It" Challenge which features a sample of Nelly's "Hot In Here."

Dallas rapper Erica Bankshas finessed her way to the popular rap girls table thanks to the viral #BussItChallenge. 

In the challenge, which uses Banks' track "Buss It," social media users are first seen in their home clothes — sweats, robe, and a bonnet — while Nelly’s “Hot In Herre” plays in the background. Then the iconic line “I think my butt gettin’ big” drops and the heavy trap beat of "Buss It" hits, with the user dropping to the floor to twerk — showing off their Meg knees — with a new glammed-up outfit and fully beat face. 

Banks' song "Buss It" originally dropped in June 2020. But the track started to catch on with social media users when, on January 1, TikTok user @erikadavila1201 uploaded a video where she gave the instructions for the challenge. In the initial video, there is no glam transition; she wears sweats throughout. However, in the video she writes, "Someone plz do this transition but all prettied up omg plzzzz." 

(She eventually made a version where she glammed herself up.)

Last week, after news of Erica’s newly inked joint Warner Records deal alongside her label 1501 Entertainment was announced, the challenge began going viral on numerous platforms. So viral, we've seen artists like Rico Nasty and Monica join in on the fun. As of January 11, the challenge has 441 million views on TikTok, and the song "Buss It" has charted on Apple Music’s Top 10.

When Banks was in the studio recording “Buss It,” with her producer and DJ Sgt J, she says she was simply just going through beats like any regular day. In an email exchange with Okayplayer, she told us it was her decision to use portions of "Hot in Herre," saying the sample caught her attention. “Initially I didn’t like the song when it was completed so having it go viral wasn’t something I thought about like that,” she wrote. "It’s a good feeling to see “Buss It” go viral... It feels unreal yet exciting, I didn’t expect it to blow up so fast.

This isn't the first time she's given new life to a classic. Her self-titled debut project, which dropped last year, featured “Toot That,” which sampled “Pop Lock & Drop It” by the late St. Louis rapper Huey.

The #BussIt challenge is a moment that highlights the rise of countless Black women in hip-hop, especially those who have their own unique wordplay. Erica is one of these women. Despite the Megan Thee Stallion comparisons people on social hit her with, her potential is real. For Erica, the highlight has just been being recognized by her peers and the legends — like Nick Minaj — before her. 

"I’m just getting started so it feels great," she wrote. "To be acknowledged by Nicki Minaj, one of the best to ever do it, means everything."

Check out more #BussItChallenge videos below.