Words by Nick Slay
It’s hard to deny Hip-Hop’s effect on mainstream culture. Especially, when it dominates the news cycle… in figure skating.
We can all admit that Hip Hop and figure skating aren’t synonymous. For an Olympic sport that is kind of stuck in a time warp, hip hop songs aren’t the typical choice for routines, especially when it comes for the Olympic qualifying rounds. However Jimmy Ma 22, from Queens, NY is here to change that and Twitter was definitely here for it.
Defying tradition, Jimmy aggressively hit the ice to DJ Snake and Lil Jon’s epic “Turn Down For What” to the delight of fans. He even described himself as, “…mean mugging’ a la Russell Westbrook” after his performance to the fans in the stands that rocked to an electronica remix of the tune.
Triumphantly beating his chest when his performance ended and demanding applause from the fans, he definitely brought a healthy spirit of Hip-Hop bravado to ice. Between the amount of confidence he brought to the ice and the audience participation he received when the songs notorious hook drops, all eyes were definitely on Ma. Although he only came in 11th place due to a stumble after jump, he did steal the show from frontrunner and gold medal hopeful, Nathan Chen.
This speak volumes about the effect that Hip-Hop has mainstream culture.
Hip-Hop is arguably having one of its best years ever, as it has toppled Rock & Roll as the most consumed music in America. This fun fact is supported by Diddy being the highest paid musician across all genres, Hip-Hop/R&B sweeping the Grammys, and Cardi B’s monumental year in music which not only supports the sound; she broke records as a woman in music as well. Jimmy Ma who sat with his choreographer Nikolai Morozov back in May over a beer and bbq and wound up choosing the chart topper as the anchor song for his routine.
Local news reported that if Twitter support was factored into judge consideration, Jimmy would be going to Olympics this year in PyeongChang instead of being a future hopeful. Check out what fans had to say:
Jimmy Ma has cornered the market on hip hop skating and I am here for it. #USChamps18
— Jennifer Comeaux (@LadyWave4) January 5, 2018
Jimmy Ma is having a blast skating to DJ Snake and so am I watching it. The bass drop and then going into Turn Down for What after unzipping his pleather jacket. I am dead.
— Hannah Stuart (@HockeywthHannah) January 5, 2018
Section 121 is rocking out to Jimmy Ma’s music pic.twitter.com/6gyIn0u0zq
— Marni Gallagher (@crossthefingers) January 5, 2018
Ma took the bold step of daring to inject some modernity into his program. https://t.co/MQ10k5dwSB
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) January 5, 2018
jimmy ma skated to dj snake at the olympic trials so tara lapinski was forced to explain dj snake to johnny weir. 🤣 https://t.co/OULe4UPF5R
— 🍜 Kimberly 🥟 (@kimberlyychin) January 5, 2018
https://twitter.com/simmadownnow21/status/949131226186702848
Jimmy Ma: 3Lz, 3A, 3F3T(step,hand) – looking in the best form of his career, if there's anyone one who's got the swag to pull this off, it's Jimmy Mahttps://t.co/aZb6FbWw2E #USChamps18
— Jackie Wong (@rockerskating) January 5, 2018
Just when you think you’ve seen it all…figure skater Jimmy Ma skates to “Turn Down For What” at U.S. Nationals. The crowd went nuts when the beat dropped. Yes, modern music is fun!! #USChamps18 pic.twitter.com/KpXGHpFG4L
— Jackie Pepper ✊🏽☮️🌊😷 (@Jackie_Pepper) January 5, 2018
Here’s Jimmy Ma’s performance on youtube (Cued to when the song drops):
https://youtu.be/N1HpB2nnJkQ?t=143
