If you’re wondering what the new Drake TikTok trend means, or why people are “running through the six” with their woes right now, good news — you’ve come to the right place. The “Deep Realization” TikTok trend features audio from “Know Yourself,” a song on Drake’s 2015 mixtape If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, which I dedicated an entire afternoon listening to in my college dorm. TikTokers are using the song to share everything from real-life woes to personal accomplishments, sudden realizations, and everything in between.
In the trending audio, Drake famously sings, “I was running through the six with my woes” twice with noticeably more hype the second time. What is the “six,” you ask? That would be Drake’s hometown, Toronto, which he calls “the six” as a nod to two of the city’s area codes, 416 and 647. As for “woes,” Drake has mentioned that the word stands for “working on excellence,” alluding to the fact that he’s always trying to better himself. Admirable, but in the #DeepRealization trend, TikTokers are using it to describe their literal woes, like heartbreak and more.
The “Know Yourself” audio has sparked trends a few times now on social media and first became popular on Vine back in the day (a moment of silence). Not long after, an incredibly random remix of the song emerged which featured a sample of Spongebob Squarepants ranting about how Krusty Krab is unfair. The remixed audio sparked a viral dance trend on TikTok, and now, in summer 2021, Drake is back. Only now we’re returning to his original song, sans Spongebob. Thank goodness.
In the “Deep Realization” TikTok trend, creators are lip-dubbing the lyrics “running through the six with my woes!” (twice, of course) while recalling deep realizations they’ve had, like that moment when you just spent way too much money or you suddenly remember how you married your partner after only meeting twice. The goal of this trend is to share a thought you’re having that’s low-key bigger than you realized. Like all viral TikTok trends, you can interpret #DeepRealization however you’d like — but make sure to lip-sync the “running through the six” lyrics with all of the angst you can muster, especially the second time around.
Some of my favorite examples of #DeepRealization include the version from Even Stevens queen (and the voice of Kim Possible) Christy Carlson Romano, who shares the realization that she graduated from an Ivy League school, has two daughters, and has been sober for five years. I’m also loving this guy who realizes he’s being chased by a herd of angry sheep (a major woe, indeed) and this #BookTok version in which TikToker @laurens1brary realizes someone’s actually going to read her book someday. I’m not crying, you’re crying.
Whether you have a funny or serious moment to share, #DeepRealization is a solid TikTok trend to jump on, and it’s easy to execute — plus, it’s kind of refreshing hearing Drake on the FYP. Save the trending audio here, write your realization in a caption so we know what’s up, and be sure to lip-sync your heart out. Time to make Drizzy proud.