If you’ve seen Lil Uzi Vert’s “Just Wanna Rock” video that dropped last month, there’s no denying how infectious the dance at the forefront is. Prior to the video dropping, the song was taking on a life of its own, greatly due to a viral dance craze created by TikToker Drew Jeeezy.
Before he was tapped by Uzi to appear in the video, Jeeezy was already making a name for himself on social media. The 17-year-old, who is originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, uploaded his first TikTok video in January 2017. Currently, he has more than 600,000 followers and 28 million likes on the platform. In addition to dance videos, his content covering skincare, hairstyles, and dating have also gone viral.
While Jeeezy’s “Just Wanna Rock” dance challenge was already blowing up on TikTok after he uploaded the demonstration video in September, he was still shocked when Uzi hit him up on social media. The dancer remembered the Philly native casually asking him to be a part of the project. “There’s no way this is actually [happening],” Jeeezy thought to himself after receiving the message from the rapper.
However, it was actually happening. After exchanging information, Jeeezy flew out to New York for four days and was on set for at least 10 hours at a time. He described the Gibson Hazard-directed video as a crazy experience, saying he was meant to be there. During an exclusive interview with Complex, the viral TikToker broke down how he linked up with Uzi, the process behind creating the viral dance, other celebrities doing the dance as well, and more.
Do you remember the first time you heard “Just Wanna Rock”? Did you immediately want to choreograph it?
Yeah, I was actually at work. I’m a lifeguard at a rec[reational] center. I was on my break. I was scrolling through TikTok, and I just heard the song. I was like, ‘If I make a challenge to this, I know it’s going to blow up.’ But, I didn’t think it was going to blow up to the point where it is now. I just thought it was going to go viral and whatever.
What was the initial response to your dance video?
I would say it took a good six hours [for the dance challenge to blow up], and then I started seeing people interact with the first of my few videos. I just kept pushing it to where more people would see it.
Describe how you linked up with Uzi. How was it working with him?
I was at work, talking to my friends in the breakroom. I was like, ‘What if Uzi just hit me up out of nowhere?’ I went back to do my job, and I look on TikTok. Uzi was on his second account, and he text me: ‘What’s your number so that I can get you into this music video?’ I was like, 'There’s no way this is actually him.'
We fly to New York for four days, and we were probably on set for like 10 hours. It was a long time. But, I enjoyed every minute of it. It was a crazy experience in New York. The moment I got on set, I felt like I was meant to be there.
Working with Uzi, he’s a cool dude. He came up to me and was like, ‘What’s up, Drew?’ And I was like, ‘He actually knows who I am.’ It’s just a crazy experience.
DAYUMMMMMM 👀👀❤️🔥❤️🔥 UZI VID COMIN SOON
Have you always been influenced by Uzi’s music? Is this your first time choreographing to one of his songs?
Yeah. This is actually my first time choreographing. I [started dancing on] Music.ly. That’s when I first started dancing, just for fun. I’m still doing it for fun. But, I’m taking it more seriously now.
Besides Uzi, I see almost everyone taking a stab at the dance, even Kevin Hart. How do you feel seeing other celebrities try their hand at your moves, too?
It’s kind of crazy that people of that level actually see my dances and see who I am. It’s just a crazy experience altogether.
Do you feel pressure to create the next viral dance knowing how big “Just Wanna Rock” became?
Yeah, sometimes. But at the same time, I’m still doing what makes me happy, and people like to see me happy as well. I just keep going with my dances and make sure that they’re catchy.
