Angel Laketa Moore’s freestyle rap on one of her podcast episodes went viral on TikTok and led to the creation of a new summer anthem known as One Margarita. Moore’s rap was inspired by a viral video of a preacher known as Sister Cindy, who was discussing abstinence on the campus of Louisiana State University. In the video, Sister Cindy shouted, If you buy her one margarita, she will spread her legs. Moore used this line as the basis for her rap and with the help of her co-host, Kevin Fredericks, she recorded the freestyle for her podcast.
Within 24 hours, two producers, Steve Terrell and Carl Dixon, created a fresh beat for the sound on TikTok, which has since garnered nearly 13 million views. This led Lizzo to declare the track as the song of summer. The song has been embraced by many individuals who have made their own versions of the hit song. On June 1, Moore, Terrell, and Dixon released an official version of the song on Apple Music and Spotify, which has been rapidly gaining streams.
Despite the controversy surrounding the song’s lyrics, One Margarita speaks to the spontaneity that defines certain tracks as the anthems of a particular season. While songs about sex and alcohol are not uncommon, everything else about the song is fresh and unique.
As AI tools that can generate music advance, they could potentially create all new genres of music, but at the same time, it could lead to a genre of very predictable tunes. Though AI can mimic established artists and write lyrics, much of its inspirations come from the past. The technology cannot replace human ingenuity when it comes to making a viral sound that speaks to the moment. One Margarita is a prime example of how human creativity can spark a chain reaction of spontaneity in music that AI cannot replicate. The song captures the energy of the moment and has become the anthem of summer 2020.
