Tesla CEO releases song to honor Harambe
April 9, 2019
In a move expected by no one, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk released a song March 30 dedicated to the late gorilla, Harambe. “RIP Harambe” was uploaded to the fictional Emo G Records’ SoundCloud page and has since racked up 1.74 million listens.
Musk is no stranger to odd publicity stunts; his Tweets have become infamous for being unlike any other CEO’s in that he’ll post memes, shower thoughts and now an autotuned song dedicated to everyone’s favorite gorilla.
Harambe, a gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo, became a news topic in May 2016 after a three year old child fell into his enclosure and dragged the child around. Zoo officials made the decision to shoot and kill Harambe after fearing for the child’s life. The incident sparked memes which exploded onto the internet. Harambe even received write-in votes in the 2016 presidential election. Although some people did vote for Harambe, reports of up to 15,000 votes for the gorilla are false, according to a Nov. 10, 2016 CNN article.
The decision to make a song about Harambe seems a little late considering the event happened almost three years ago, but Musk isn’t one for predictability. The song clocks in at a brief minute and 56 seconds, just short enough to not wear the joke thin. The song’s Migos style ad libs and plunky xylophone sounds as if it would fit in on any top 40 radio station, making for a unlikely earworm.
“RIP Harambe/ Sipping on some Bombay/ We on our way to heaven/ Amen, Amen,” the song goes over and over.
This may not have been a song anyone was expecting, but it may have just been the song we needed.