I Got 2 Phones is a TikTok audio meme built on the chorus of Kevin Gates' 2015 song 2 Phones, which blew up in August 2023 when creators started stitching the drop with hard visuals like Gangster SpongeBob and Goku Drip over videos they found cringe.
Origin
2 Phones was released by Kevin Gates on November 5th, 2015 as a single ahead of his debut album Islah, where it landed as the third track[1]. The song hit number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100, his first top-20 entry, and was later certified double platinum in the US[1].
The official music video, directed by Jon J, premiered on Kevin Gates' YouTube channel on January 1st, 2016 and racked up hundreds of millions of views over the following years[2]. Early lip-syncs and dance clips using the chorus circulated on Vine, Triller and Musical.ly through 2015 and 2016, including a resurfaced Vine of Stranger Things actor Dacre Montgomery dancing to the track with a friend[3].
- Platform: TikTok (viral spread)
- Creator: Kevin Gates (song); @liimit and @doggycheesenut (stitch format)
- Date: 2023
Overview
I Got 2 Phones, sometimes written I Got Two Phones, is a TikTok audio meme that pulls the chorus from Kevin Gates' 2015 single 2 Phones and drops it over a video the editor thinks deserves to be interrupted[3]. The gag is the cut itself, when a talking-head clip suddenly gets stitched with the Gates hook and a hard image like Gangster SpongeBob or Goku Drip fills the screen[3].
The caption almost always writes the line as I GOT TWO PHONES in all caps, usually with the speaking head emoji on the end[3]. Stitched targets are typically women posting man-hating takes or other videos the creator finds cringey, and the format is a direct descendant of the older I'm A.I. With the Braids stitch built on The Game and Lil Wayne's A.I. With The Braids[3].
How It Spread
The sound bounced around TikTok for years before the stitch format locked in. A June 16th, 2019 upload by @danny.tommy pulled roughly 516,200 plays, and a December 8th, 2020 video by @tresnaped got about 6.8 million plays and 622,300 likes over the next three years[3]. Usage picked up again in April 2023 when @peestain24 posted a nonsensical CapCut template with the song that hit around 1.7 million plays[3].
The recognizable trend didn't kick off until August 14th, 2023, when TikToker @liimit stitched a woman complaining about men with 2 Phones and images of Dragon Ball characters, pulling roughly 1.6 million plays and 321,000 likes in a week[3]. On the same day, @doggycheesenut posted a version cut with SpongeBob characters that landed around 224,400 plays[3]. Copycat edits followed almost immediately, most of them stitching female influencers with anti-male takes or clips like I'm Processing The Most Triggering Breakup I've Had In Nine Years[3].
An earlier parody worth flagging came from YouTuber Dave Farese Films, who uploaded a 2 Phones send-up on March 30th, 2016 that picked up around 133,300 views over the years[3]. It predates the TikTok wave but shows the chorus had comedic legs long before the stitch format found it.
How to Use
The template is a stitch. Creators typically pick a video they want to dunk on, often a talking-head clip with a hot take, then cut in mid-sentence to the 2 Phones chorus playing over a hard image like Gangster SpongeBob, Goku Drip or a Dragon Ball character[3]. Captions commonly write the line as I GOT TWO PHONES in all caps with the speaking head emoji[3].
Frequently Asked Questions
What is I Got 2 Phones 2 Phones By Kevin Gates?
It's a TikTok audio meme that stitches the chorus of Kevin Gates' 2015 song 2 Phones over videos the editor finds cringe, usually paired with hard visuals like Gangster SpongeBob or Goku Drip[3].
Where did I Got 2 Phones 2 Phones By Kevin Gates come from?
The song came out on November 5th, 2015 as a single from Kevin Gates' album Islah, and the music video premiered on his YouTube on January 1st, 2016[1][2]. The TikTok stitch format took off on August 14th, 2023 with a video by @liimit[3].
What does I Got 2 Phones 2 Phones By Kevin Gates mean?
In the song, Kevin Gates says he needs two phones to keep drug work separate from his personal life[1]. As a meme, the chorus is used as an interruption gag: it cuts off whatever the target is saying[3].
How do you use I Got 2 Phones 2 Phones By Kevin Gates?
Stitch a talking-head clip, drop the 2 Phones chorus mid-sentence, and cover the screen with a hard image like Gangster SpongeBob or a Dragon Ball character, often captioned I GOT TWO PHONES in all caps[3].
Is I Got 2 Phones 2 Phones By Kevin Gates still popular?
The stitch trend peaked on TikTok in August 2023, when @liimit's Dragon Ball edit hit around 1.6 million plays in a week and copycats followed within days[3]. The song itself was certified double platinum in the US[1].
