Nah he tweakin: Why this phrase is everywhere on Instagram

(Getty Images)

Vast numbers of people on Instagram are using the phrase “nah he tweakin”, and it is all the fault of skateboarder Tony Hawk’s blood.

The phrase has gone viral on the app to the extent that it has even been used by Instagram itself.

And it all began with a strange feud between singer Lil Nas X and Hawk, over the use of blood in products.

The issue began when Tony Hawk announced that he would be helping to sell 500 limited edition skateboard decks for $500 each. To make them, he gave 100 vials of his own blood, which was then infused with paint and used to decorate the deck.

That led Lil Nas X to remark on the similarity to his “Satan Shoes”, also created with blood – which in that case was dropped into the cushioning at the bottom of the shoe. Those sneakers had proved immensely controversial, prompting outrage and lawsuits from Nike.

Lil Nas X noted on Twitter that Hawk’s new decks hadn’t provoked the same controversy, despite also being made using blood. (There are some notable differences between the two products: the Satan Shoes did not include Lil Nas X’s blood, and Hawk’s announcement made much of the fact that people own a piece of him, and the sneakers proved controversial in large part because of legal action by Nike over the use of its products.)

He then made a similar comment on Instagram, in response to a post that reported the news of Hawk’s skateboards. “Y’all rockin with it?” the post had asked – to which Lil Nas X gave the now famous reply, “nah he tweakin”.

That comment has since received vast amounts of likes, and the entire post is now filled with people reposting those same three words.

The phrase has become so popular so quickly that even Instagram itself isnow using it, in its announcement that its comment system had been hit by a bug and wasn’t working properly.

The phrase continues to be used elsewhere, including in comments on Hawk’s personal Instagram post, and other entirely unrelated pictures.