Justin Bieber accidentally unleashed the meme of the week after a strange encounter with paparazzi led him to declare, “It’s not clocking to you that I’m standing on business.” The phrase—a scrambled blend of internet slang and misused AAVE—has since exploded across social media. Users are lip-syncing and parodying Bieber’s unintentionally iconic line, turning a tense celebrity moment into a meme mine. This is what happens when messy white boys use Black slang.
What did Justin Bieber mean when he said, “It’s not clocking to you that I’m standing on business”?
The pop star was leaving Soho House Malibu on June 12, 2025, when paparazzi began to bother him. Instead of ignoring them, he responded.
“I’m a dad, I’m a husband,” he said in the clip spreading online. “You’re not getting it, it’s not clocking to you. It’s not clocking to you that I’m standing on business, is it?”
If you track down the real meanings behind these misappropriated AAVE terms, the statement almost makes sense. “Clocking” refers to the act of recognizing something or someone for what they really are. In the trans community, it means to accurately identify someone as trans, often despite efforts to “pass.”
To “stand on business” means showing up, especially in one’s own defense, and to do so with the utmost seriousness. Drake popularized the phrase with the track “Daylight” in 2023.
With that knowledge, we can assume Bieber was saying the paparazzi were failing to recognize that he was seriously showing up.
Clock these memes
It wasn’t long before the memes began. On TikTok, users made lip-sync and imitation videos. On sites like X and Bluesky, the jokes were as reference-heavy as always.
You might not like him, but no one can say that Justin Bieber isn’t entertaining.
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@zeinaboucoulibaly Helppp (I hope he’s okay tho 😭🥰❤️) #justinbieber #clockingtoyou #nickiqueenofrap ♬ original sound – cherryclips
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@imfinnawhipdishoe Happy Father’s Day to this sound 😂😂#fyp #fypシ #foryoupage #fathersday #justinbieber ♬ original sound – cherryclips
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