Mysterious Ways: What Does Bunny Wailer Have To Do With A Video About The Skateboarding, Fleetwood Mac-lip syncing, Ocean Spray-drinking Video That Went Viral On TikTok?
Bunny Wailer - 'Crucial' song art - 1994
By Richard 'Highah Seekah' Harvey
5:55 AM EST Thursday December 10, 2020
A couple hours ago, I was listening to The Steve Freeman Podcast wherein he speaks about TikTok being the new music industry, and towards the end of the YouTube podcast video, Steve mentions something to the effect of how the "dogface guy" was unknown on Monday, posts a video, and on Tuesday it blows up, to paraphrase.
So, I become interested in finding out what's it about, and I do a YouTube search and begin watching a few videos. While watching a video, a reccomended video entitled 'CEO Of Ocean Spray Tom Hayes Gifts Doggface208 With A New Car' on a channel called Forgotten KingzTV, shows below; I click and watch it.
So, what does this have to do with Bunny Wailer? Well here's where it gets mystical to me. As the video plays, I hear a Reggae song playing in the background. In the video, the Ocean Spray CEO presents a new pickup truck with its back full of juice to '420Doggface208,' and as he walks closer to the truck, a Reggae song becomes more audible, seemigly playing from the truck.
Screenshot. Watch said video on YouTube
After the one minute and 12 seconds video ends, I remember some words I hear in the song in the video, but I'm not readily familiar with the song; but I know the voice. Is that, "Bunny Wailer!?" I ask myself. I then do an internet search for "bunny wailer crucial" and there it is - Bunny Wailer, Crucial, Released in 1994. It should be noted that this song is on the album - 'Crucial! Roots Classics' - that in 1995, won Wailer the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album. I was very surprised, mystified, that I hear a Reggae song playing in this video showing an unexpected and crucial moment among moments in the life of a man whose video went viral; really viral.
The backstory is that a TikTok video posted on September 25, 2020 by '420doggface208' begins to go viral shortly thereafter. He is seen skateboarding down a highway road, apparently somewhere in the state of Idaho; he drinks from a bottle of Ocean Spray Cran-Rasberry juice; and at one point, lip syncs to the song 'Dreams' by Fleetwood Mac (synched from the TikTok music library).
The video would later get the attention of the band members, whom then posts similar videos of their own as a sort of nod of appreciation. Their song 'Dreams' which was released in 1977, has since had resurgence on music platforms and charts.
Ocean Spray, which has subsequently experienced substantial market growth as a result of the viral video, also responds, gifting the man in the video with products and the new truck. I suspect we'll probably soon see a commercial featuring him in it.
Screenshot. Check out the viral TikTok video
The TikTok star now has an Agent, and has done multiple interviews with various media outlets. People have donated money. Within three months, the viral TikTok video has 72.7 million views and 11.8 million hearts as of the early AM hours of Thursday December 10, 2020. Congratulations to Mr. Nathan '420doggfave208' Apodaca. As we Jamaicans would say: "him Buss!"
Screenshot: 420doggface208's TikTok video
I subsequently discovered that other YouTube accounts have the video of Ocean Spray gifting the truck as well: its on the channel Your Morning and on Entertainment Tonight.
While reading comments under the video, I noticed among them, people asking about what the song is; I responded to about eight of them with the answer. There's a question of my own that I'd like answered: how did Bunny Wailer's 'Crucial' come to be heard playing in the video, and who's responsible for that? I will seek out the answer; stay tuned.
The video 'CEO Of Ocean Spray Tom Hayes Gifts Doggface208 With A New Car' on Forgotten KingzTV's YouTube channel is like a piece of a puzzle; a video among many videos about the subject. However, once I watched it and heard Bunny Wailer's song, I became inspired to perhaps send a message to him to let him and his team know, in case they didn't; I wondered if they do already. It is also at that crucial point that I would have a thought to write this article piece.
Richard 'Highah Seekah' Harvey
Richard 'Highah Seekah' Harvey is a writer, songwriter, artiste, creative and a developing entrepreneur. Seekahverse Times is his website's news blog. A Westmoreland, Jamaica native currently based in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, also known as DMV, he also publishes on ReggaeValley Radio.