As “awkberg” as it was when –bergs of the Eisen, Zucker and Sam varieties introduced last night’s episode of Saturday Night Live, the real highlight of the night was The Lonely Island’s new digital short, “The Creep,” featuring hip-hop’s darling of the moment, Nicki Minaj.
The video stars SNL’s trifecta of musical comedy in off-color suits, Urkel glasses, and slicked-down hair (an ensemble not unlike that of Dwight Schrute’s) in their insistent pursuits of women from various locations: “When a fine PYT walks in front of your tree, do the creep.” Minaj also carries the role well, looking fittingly over the top in a blond wig while sassily singing, “When you sneak into a wake and you see a beefcake, do the creep.”
However, there’s speculation among the YouTube commenters as to whether SNL took a cue from “What is the Creep?,” a production starring Carnegie Mellon University duo Joseph Reilly and Sean Hoffman, which features eerie similarities, right down to the usage of a T-rex head mask. Their follow up video, “How to Creep,” released just nine days before the premiere of the SNL episode, is almost the short itself, sans Minaj and a cheeky chorus.
So, did SNL really just make a viral video via inspiration from two under-the-radar college kids? Maybe. But regardless of who thought of it first, “the Creep” is here to stay, so get your knees flexin’ and your arms T-rexin’.