Ariana DeBose responds to viral BAFTA rap

Ariana DeBose pays tribute to the many memes from her BAFTA rap and thanks everyone for pouring out on her.

Ariana DeBose reacts to a spoof of her now-trending BAFTA rap. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards ceremony took place on 19 February. The ceremony included a performance by West Side Story's DeBose, who sang some of the biggest film and television moments of the year. The performance, which included a rap segment about the Best Actress and Supporting Actress nominations, has been the subject of internet memes ever since.

DeBose responded to some prominent mentions of her BAFTA performance in a recent Instagram post.

DeBose included several videos in her post, including a clip of music icons Lizzo and Adele paying tribute to DeBose's Angela Bassett line of raps. In addition to these videos, DeBose also included more straight-up meme spoofs, while choosing to direct her captions toward gratitude for the "love" she received after her BAFTA performance.

DeBose’s BAFTA Rap Explained

The West Side Story star's BAFTA rap wasn't exactly loved in the week after BAFTA. While it's humbling to have stars like Adele, Lizzo, and Halle Berry quote her rap, DeBose also encountered her fair share of memes mocking the absurdity of her rap. British Academy Film Awards Not being talked about for Inisherin's Banshee or Tar or the like, but for a string of best actress names rapped by DeBose.

As mentioned by the other celebs mentioned above, the most salient memorable aspect of this rap is the inexplicable line: "Angela Bassett did this." It's preceded by a more sensible line, "Danielle D , you broke my heart / Michelle, I loved you from the beginning," Angela Bassett's line - accompanied by DeBose's impassioned trill - confuses the audience and leaves many wondering what the heck "that thing Bassett (who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for "Black Panther: Forever Wakanda") did it.

The hilarious depiction of DeBose rapping even led BAFTA producer Nick Bullen to defend DeBose. According to Bullen, DeBose was "absolutely at the top of his game" during his performance. Brun even thought the widespread boycott against her was "extremely unfair" (Variety). Fair or not, it's clear that DeBose's rap will remain the most spoofed BAFTA moment on social media, appealing to audiences who might not otherwise be interested in BAFTA.

More: Angela Bassett's Oscar nomination breaks MCU trend — but will she win?