The satirical song comments on Yoho’s behavior and politics. One lyric compares Yoho “sipping lean” on the taxpayers’ dollar while the rapper has to pay for their lean in cash.
TikTok has become a platform for funny memes, fashion photography, cooking shows and also for political commentary. In the wake of an incident between Florida Congressman Ted Yoho and New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a diss track written by a UF student and a Gainesville native went viral.
On July 21st, Florida Congressman Ted Yoho, who represents the state’s 3rd Congressional District and Alachua County, and New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez engaged in a conversation, which ended with Yoho calling Ocasio-Cortez “a “F--king B-tch.”
The incident reached national news media outlets. Some people were outraged by Yoho’s language. Other people think the situation was blown out of proportion. Regardless, citizens and government representatives alike have been discussing this incident.
A 22-year-old former Gainesville intern and UF graduate for Representative Yoho felt frustrated when she heard and read about the Yoho-AOC incident.
“I read that story, and I really was not surprised,” she said.
As someone who has always enjoyed music, the former intern and her friend created their own homemade diss track on Soundcloud, inspired by a ‘90s track about Representative Martinez by 2 Live Crew.
“I just feel like, that's not okay,” she said. “That's not someone who should be representing Gainesville.”
The satirical song comments on Yoho’s behavior and politics. One lyric compares Yoho “sipping lean” on the taxpayers’ dollar while the rapper has to pay for their lean in cash.
“Obviously, my song is satire,” she said. “I don't actually think that Ted Yoho does lean on the taxpayer dime.”
She also said that she was fed up with Yoho’s problematic history.
“That's who people are looking at when they hear Gainesville, and when they hear the University of Florida because that's our representative,” they said. “So I think everyone should care.”
Sebastion Mallory, a 22-year-old UF English and information sciences senior, said the song was sent to him. He decided to post the song on TikTok, where it gained traction fast. Before the video was deleted, it had about 200,000 views, he said. The reason the song was deleted is unknown, however, Mallory suspects the video may have violated a TikTok community guideline because the song contained an explicit word.
The video has been reuploaded, but has since been deleted.
Mallory said he believed the incident between Yoho and Ocasio-Cortez was atrocious.
“Regardless of whether you agree with them or not, I don't think that anyone needs to be spoken to that way,” he said. “I think that language should not be used and it definitely should not be used outside the steps of the Capitol.”
Michelle Holder is a second-year journalism student at UF minoring in entrepreneurship and a Metro reporter at The Alligator. She is from Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. In her free time she enjoys going to coffee shops and reading.
