“I can’t put down the cup” are lyrics from rapper Dave Blunts’ song “The Cup,” which became a TikTok trend and meme in November 2024.
Why is ‘I Can’t Put Down The Cup’ trending?
On June 21, 2024, rapper Dave Blunts—who has recently made headlines for performing with an oxygen tank—released a song called “The Cup,” whose lyrics grappled with the 23-year-old’s addiction to lean.
With an already vibrant social media following, the internet took Blunts’ thematically charged song and turned it into a meme, skyrocketing Blunts’ status from struggling online musician to cultural phenomenon.
With millions singing “I can’t put down the cup, can’t put down the cup” into the digital void, Blunts has far more supporters than dissenters, but the discourse surrounding this controversial artist and his song gives a wide range of reactions, from humor to concern.
Who is Dave Blunts?
Born Davion Blessing on July 1, 2001, in Davenport Iowa, Blunts gained a substantial following as a teenager by posting humorous songs and videos on Facebook. In a July 2024 YouTube interview with No Jumper, Blunts said his current stage name originated from his own high-volume Facebook activity.
“My Facebook kept getting banned and I kept getting reported and sh*t. So, I just had to keep making random names and one day I was smoking a blunt and making a Facebook, and I was like ‘Sh*t, Dave Blunts.’ And I was uploading music to Facebook, so it just kind of stuck.”
With ebbs and flows in his music-making, the rapper eventually moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, where he released three projects in early 2024, including his single, “The Cup” in June. Rapper Lil Yachty promoted the single on TikTok after its release, giving Blunts a huge boost in visibility and respect within underground rap culture, and beginning the TikTok trend and meme’s virality.
Spread of ‘I can’t put down the cup’
On Nov. 14, 2024, Dave Blunts began making videos of himself singing the song’s lyrics, which kicked off similar memes and videos from mid-November into December.
@daveblunts #12 ♬ The Cup – Dave Blunts
These memes range in tone, from serious (touching on addiction) to humorous.
@kushpapi_ I cant put down the cup man Dave got me 😂
♬ The Cup – Dave Blunts
@agbapsskits I Cant Put Down The Cup!! ib: @vexbolts #naijaanimation #gbaps ♬ original sound – Agbaps
What is “The Cup” About?
“The Cup” is about Dave Blunts’ inability to stop drinking lean, the colloquial name for a mixture of soda and promethazine (an antihistamine that relieves the symptoms of allergies, commonly found in Nyquil and other pharmaceutical drugs). Lean has historically also been known as “purple drink,” or “sizzurp.” The mixture has a reputation for being used recreationally and is often alluded to in rap culture.
Lean is incredibly addictive, and the lyrics’ repetitive effect reflects the hold the drug has on Blunts:
“Sippin’ on promethazine
With lean, I fell in love
I can’t put down the cup
I can’t put down the cup”
Most of the memes include the line “I can’t put down the cup,” but can include references to promethazine and lean.
Why can’t Dave Blunts put down the cup?
Though addiction is a serious issue, many have taken Blunts’ inability to “put down the cup” a bit more humorously and philosophically, relating that his motivation to keep sippin’ on promethazine is a metaphor for various societal states of influence or a struggle with his sense of self.
Snoop Dogg comes at Blunts for his weight
Other listeners, however, don’t take Blunts or his lyrics as lightly. Blunts’ weight and lean drinking have caused concern in many, including rap icon Snoop Dogg. On Nov. 9, 2024, Snoop shared footage of the rapper performing his song “The Cup” on Instagram, captioning the post, “Well put down the chicken wings and Tata chips Nefew and that chair gone break soon get t the end of the cup.”
Blunt eventually commented on Snoop’s post, replying, “Damn Unc.”
Meme examples
The variations on this meme range in theme, from shedding light on the consumption of lean to celebrating the catchiness of the song and its lyrics, to commenting on many facets of Dave Blunts (his musical ability, his sexual orientation, his health.) However you feel about the artist or “The Cup,” neither are going anywhere anytime soon.
More TikTok trends:
- The viral ‘We Listen And We Don’t Judge’ TikTok trend is causing savage breakups
- Explaining the ‘Sticking Out Your Tongue For The Picture’ meme and TikTok trend
- A clip of 4-year-old Barron Trump saying ‘I Like My Suitcase’ is now a TikTok meme
- What is a ‘Pink Tote Mom’ and why is it a TikTok trend?
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