"U Got That" is a 2017 EDM track by Atlanta duo Halogen that got a second life in late 2018 as the backing music for anime MMVs featuring characters pulling gesugao faces. The song then jumped to TikTok in April 2019 behind a viral "Ricardo Juice" transformation clip, spawning thousands of copycat videos.
Origin
Atlanta-based duo Halogen released "U Got That" on SoundCloud through the Pinnacle Collective label on August 15, 2017, offering it as a free download[1]. Two days later, on August 17, 2017, YouTube channel Accession reuploaded the track to its channel, which is where most meme editors would later source the audio[2].
The song itself is not the meme. The viral format emerged more than a year after release, once remixers started syncing anime clips and Ricardo Milos edits to its drop[3].
- Platform: SoundCloud (song release) / YouTube (meme spread) / TikTok (viral peak)
- Creator: Halogen (song); meme creators Unknown
- Date: 2017
Overview
"U Got That" is a bouncy synth-lead EDM instrumental built around a repeating vocal hook, originally put out as a free download by the Pinnacle Collective label in August 2017[1]. On its own it sat in the pile of royalty-free dance tracks, but editors picked it up a year later because the drop lines up almost perfectly with cuts between dancing or face-pulling characters[3].
The meme crystallized around two formats. The first is the anime music video treatment, where Kantai Collection and other anime girls flash gesugao (lewd, smug grin) expressions in time with the beat[3]. The second is the Ricardo Milos remix, splicing the shirtless-dancer stock footage over the same track so that his hip rolls hit each snare[3]. From there the hook spread into TikTok transformation clips that use the drop as a visual punchline[3].
How It Spread
The track idled for roughly a year before animators found it. On September 21, 2018, YouTuber UnknownSpy posted an animation set to the song that pulled past 1.8 million views[4]. Three weeks later, on October 11, 2018, the channel Pantsu Shot NyR uploaded "U Got That | FULL VERSION [MMV]" featuring Kantai Collection characters making gesugao expressions, a video that passed 19.6 million views within six months[5].
From the Pantsu Shot cut, remixers pivoted to comedy. YouTuber healing Rico mashed the animation with Ricardo Milos footage and racked up more than 2.9 million views in four months[6]. YouTuber Kyouma followed with a parody of the Ricardo mashup on February 23, 2019, which pulled over 340,000 views in three months[7].
The track crossed over to TikTok on April 5, 2019, when user @leah_schmidyy123 posted a clip of herself drinking from bottles labeled "Ricardo Juice" and "Holy Water" before transforming into a nun dancing to the drop[3].
How to Use
Typical edits cut character animation, dance footage, or TikTok transformations so that the chorus hook of "U Got That" lands on a visual beat, often a face change, outfit swap, or hip movement. Common conventions include pairing the drop with gesugao anime expressions, Ricardo Milos clips, or a "before/after" transformation reveal[3].
Frequently Asked Questions
What is U Got That?
It's a 2017 EDM instrumental by Atlanta duo Halogen that became the backing track for a wave of anime MMVs, Ricardo Milos mashups, and TikTok transformation clips starting in late 2018[1][3].
Where did U Got That come from?
Halogen uploaded the track to SoundCloud on August 15, 2017 as a free download through the Pinnacle Collective label, and YouTube channel Accession reposted it two days later[1][2].
What does U Got That mean?
The phrase is just the vocal hook of Halogen's song. It carries no stand-alone meaning; the meme is driven by syncing the drop to visual gags like anime gesugao faces or Ricardo Milos dancing[3].
How do you use U Got That?
Editors typically cut an animation, dance clip, or transformation so that a visual beat, like a face change or hip roll, lands on the chorus drop, a format set by the Pantsu Shot NyR Kantai Collection MMV[5].
Is U Got That still popular?
Its peak came between late 2018 and mid 2019 across YouTube MMVs and TikTok, where @leah_schmidyy123's video alone drove more than 15,000 copycat clips, though the sound is still identifiable as a classic late-2010s edit track[3].
