The Jaw-Dropping Pop Culture Moments Of 2021 

Lil Nas X Takes on Nike (and the rest of America)  
Serial troll Lil Nas X terrorised the US psyche in March when he revealed his first (unofficial) collaboration with Nike: the Air Max 97 ‘Satan Shoes’.

Introducing real human blood into the 97’s Air Max unit, the Georgia rapper set the internet ablaze with his diabolical scheme, forcing Nike to lawyer-up and US conservatives to pick up their virtual pitchforks. 

But the furore didn’t stop there. Weeks later, Lil Nas X continued to fuel the flames, sharing a fake apology video featuring the artist giving Satan a lap dance. Well, in the wise words of John Milton: ‘Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven.’ 

Drake and Kanye Tussle For Chart Dominance
There’s nothing quite like a high-profile beef in the hip hop industry. Drake and Kanye West have been going back and forth for years now, but the competition went up a notch in late August-early September, when both artists dropped albums. 

Certified Lover Boy and Donda both posted very impressive numbers, but it was Drake’s sixth studio album that smashed the record books, the long list of features and radio-ready tracks culminating in the biggest record debut of 2021. Thankfully, it looks like Drake and Kanye have put their beef to bed (for now), with both artists posing for a photo together in November. 

Squid Game Breaks the Internet
Hwang Dong-hyuk’s Korean survival drama Squid Game eviscerated the streaming competition in 2021, the bloody battle series polling #1 on Netflix in 90 different countries. 

The jaw-dropping success of the series created unexpected cultural ripples. In the lead-up to Halloween, sales of the Vans Slip-On surged 7800%, with plenty of trick-or-treaters keen to channel the unique, child-like aesthetics of the Korean tour de force. Who’s already here for season two? 

#cratechallenge
One of the most precarious, dangerous, and ill-advised viral fads of all time was the crate challenge. A microcosm of a society literally and figuratively in freefall, the crate challenge was nevertheless undeniably funny, the short videos resembling the outrageous physical comedy of silent era cinema. 

Just please, stop ruining your Jays! 

Daniel Craig Retires as 007 
It’s not often you get a tear-jerker with a Bond film – salty liquids are usually reserved for the martinis – but No Time to Die hit us straight in the feels. This year, Bond fans bid farewell to arguably the greatest to ever suit-up, Daniel Craig bearing all his scars for his fifth and final portrayal of the secret agent. 

Craig’s 15-year 007 tenure trumped that of both Sean Connery and Roger Moore, and his final mission dismantling uber-villain Safin (Rami Malek) was a fitting swan song for our existentially exhausted hero. Delayed for over two years by the COVID-19 pandemic, No Time To Die was well worth the wait. 

The ‘Free Britney’ movement
The perplexing and ultimately tragic details of Britney Spears' conservatorship sparked plenty of conversation in 2021. Emboldened by a New York Times documentary and thousands of reshares on social media, throngs of Spears supporters poured into the streets and online to defend the queen of pop. Finally, the levee broke. 

The success of #freebritney helped put an end to the conservatorship in November, a Los Angeles judge finally ending the 14-year legal battle. Spears can now make her own financial, medical and personal decisions for the first time since 2008.

Bennifer 2.0
Who would’ve thought an old Hollywood flame could reignite all of our sartorial and romantic reveries from the early 2000s! 

Perhaps guided by our eternal return to the 20-year fashion cycle, the romance between Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez served as nostalgic wildfire, many of us using the Bennifer 2.0 as an excuse to leaf through our early 2000s photographs, films and music. Oh and no, this doesn’t mean you can DM your ex.