The song’s explosion into the mainstream is inextricably linked to the . In mid-2022, creators began pairing "Why Not" with a clip from the 1988 Soviet cartoon Treasure Island , featuring a swaggering, hyper-masculine version of Dr. Livesey.

If you’ve spent any time on TikTok in the last few years, you’ve heard it—that heavy, cowbell-laden bassline and the distorted voice of Big Smoke laughing. isn’t just a song; it’s the definitive anthem of the "phonk" genre on the platform.

The Phonk Phenomenon: Why Ghostface Playa’s "Why Not" Still Owns TikTok