Drake has announced that he might be scrapping Y.O.L.O. (short for “You Only Live Once”) as the name for his upcoming mixtape with Rick Ross because the shorthand term he coined has become inescapable. But where did it begin?
The Y.O.L.O. craze first hit the Internet last fall with the release of Drake’s single “The Motto,” where the rapper proclaims: “You only live once: that’s the motto f****** YOLO.” The catch phrase was quickly trending, dominating Twitter with the hashtag #YOLO, sweeping through newsfeeds on Facebook and even receiving some celebrity endorsements. Zac Efron debuted his YOLO tattoo in December and Selena Gomez was spotted in a Y.O.L.O. sweatshirt in March.
Switching seats while the car is goin 100+ #yolo—
Larry Peterson III (@bigtimer17) April 06, 2012
Why do people on @Pinterest always leave comments to try and make EVERY recipe low cal?! I mean, sometimes you just have to indulge. #yolo—
Michael Wurm, Jr. (@inspiredbycharm) June 13, 2012
not wearing anything under the graduation gown. #yolo? 😉—
a m b e r ♔ ™ (@aambxr) June 13, 2012
About to hide under the bubbles in Prince Williams bath, wearing my scuba suit #YOLO—
Kate Middleton (@PrincessKate_UK) June 12, 2012
Just got 6.5 ounces of liquid through security #YOLO—
Joshua Phelps (@DC_Phelps) June 12, 2012
The rapper recently told MTV News that Y.O.L.O. is “like an epidemic…We might have to call it something different now ’cause that’s just so attached to ‘The Motto.’”
With praise comes criticism…and burnout. Earlier this month, Jack Black tweeted his take on the phrase that’s everywhere and a Massachusetts English teacher went viral after correcting the phrase to “You Live Only Once” in a high school graduation speech.
YOLO = You Obviously Lack Originality—
Jack Black (@IamJackyBlack) June 01, 2012
#YOLO backwards = Only Losers Obey Yolo.—
Making My Own Luck™ (@NinjaPosts) June 13, 2012
With the demise of Y.O.L.O. looming, Nancy Sinatra reincarnated the overused acronym as #YOLT after her song “You Only Live Twice,” from the 1967 James Bond film of the same name, closed out the season five finale of Mad Men this weekend.
Many thanks to the producers of Mad Men for playing my #YOLT at the end of their super series. I'm deeply honored.—
Nancy Sinatra (@NancySinatra) June 11, 2012
-Nee-Sa Lossing, CBS Local



























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