You’ve heard it. Even if you haven't played a single second of Fortnite, you have definitely heard the high-pitched, catchy-as-hell melody of Chug Chug With You. It’s one of those digital artifacts that feels like it has been around forever, despite being a relatively recent explosion in the grand timeline of internet memes.
Most people know it as the "Fortnite Card" song or the "Pro Chugger" anthem. But beneath the surface of the "number one Victory Royale" lyrics lies a fascinating case study in how copyright, community creativity, and a kid with a microphone can accidentally create a global phenomenon. It’s weird. It’s catchy. Honestly, it’s a bit of a legal headache for some.
Where did Chug Chug With You actually come from?
Let’s set the record straight: the song didn’t just appear out of thin air. It was created by Leviathan, a creator who was only about 13 or 14 years old at the time he uploaded it. He wasn't trying to win a Grammy. He was just a kid who liked Fortnite and decided to record a parody of "American Boy" by Estelle featuring Kanye West.
The original track, titled "Number One Victory Royale," was uploaded to YouTube and SoundCloud years before it actually blew up. It sat there. Collecting a few views. Being a niche joke for a small circle of friends. Then, TikTok happened.
In late 2020 and early 2021, the song started appearing in "ironic" memes. You know the ones. Deep-fried images of Peter Griffin or nonsensical videos of people doing the "Orange Justice" dance. The specific line "I'd really love to chug chug with you" became the rallying cry for a generation of Gen Z and Gen Alpha users who grew up on the Battle Bus.
The "American Boy" Connection and the Legal Gray Area
Here is where things get kinda messy. Chug Chug With You is a direct parody. The melody is identical to Estelle’s 2008 hit. In the world of music copyright, parodies are a tricky business.
Usually, under "Fair Use" in the United States, you can parody a work if you are commenting on or criticizing the original. But Leviathan wasn't really criticizing "American Boy." He was just using the beat to talk about Shield Potions and Tomato Town. This created a massive problem when the song started racking up millions of streams on Spotify and Apple Music.
The track was repeatedly taken down and re-uploaded. Fans were confused. One day it was on their playlist, the next it was greyed out. This happened because the rights holders for "American Boy"—including labels and songwriters—rightfully pointed out that their intellectual property was being used without a license.
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Eventually, a "sanitized" or officially cleared version had to be navigated. It’s a classic example of how a viral hit can be a curse for a young creator who doesn't have a legal team standing behind them.
Why the song actually works (Musically speaking)
Believe it or not, there is some actual science to why this song gets stuck in your head. It uses a concept called an "earworm," but it’s fueled by the "chipmunk soul" aesthetic that Kanye West popularized in the mid-2000s.
- The pitch-shifted vocals create a sense of nostalgia.
- The rhythm is driving and syncopated, making it perfect for short-form video loops.
- The lyrics are incredibly literal. "We got a number one Victory Royale / Yeah, Fortnite, we'd like to play that." It's so simple it's brilliant.
The "Tomato Town" Massacre: Meme vs. Reality
One of the most famous lines in Chug Chug With You involves a certain incident. "Just wiped out Tomato Town / My friend just got downed."
This lyric launched a thousand "investigative" memes. People started treating the "Tomato Town Massacre" like a real historical event. It’s hilarious because Tomato Town was actually one of the smaller, less populated points of interest on the original Fortnite map. Wiping out everyone there usually meant killing maybe two or three people.
But in the world of the song, it sounds like an epic, war-torn achievement. This gap between the actual gameplay experience and the grandiose lyrics is exactly why it resonated with players. It captured the way kids feel when they’re playing—everything feels higher stakes than it actually is.
The Leviathan Legacy
Leviathan himself became an overnight celebrity, but not in the way most people expect. He didn't turn into a mainstream pop star. He remained, largely, a kid on the internet. He did interviews with places like Rolling Stone, where he talked about the surreal experience of hearing his voice everywhere while just trying to finish middle school.
It’s important to realize that for Leviathan, this wasn't a calculated marketing move. It was a hobby. When the song blew up, he was suddenly thrust into discussions about royalties, publishing rights, and digital distribution.
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What most people get wrong about the "Fortnite Card" guy
There’s a common misconception that the kid who sang Chug Chug With You is the same person as the "19 Dollar Fortnite Card" guy (MrBlockU).
They are different people.
The internet has a way of merging memes into one giant blob of "Fortnite Culture." While both went viral around the same time and both involve the game, they represent two different pillars of the era. The Fortnite Card meme was about the absurdity of giveaway culture, while the song was about the sheer joy of the game itself.
The impact on Epic Games and Fortnite
Did Epic Games pay for this? No. But they certainly benefited.
During the peak of the song's popularity, Fortnite saw a resurgence in "OG" nostalgia. People who had stopped playing in Chapter 2 started logging back in because the song reminded them of the "simpler times" of Chapter 1.
The song became an unofficial anthem. While Epic usually likes to keep a tight grip on their branding, they couldn't ignore this. They eventually added a "Chug Fast" emote to the game, which many saw as a subtle nod to the "chug chug" craze, even if they couldn't use the song directly due to those pesky licensing issues with the "American Boy" melody.
Cultural Longevity
Most memes die in two weeks. This one didn't.
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Even now, years after the initial explosion, you'll see people drop a "Tomato Town" reference in a completely unrelated comment section. It has entered the permanent lexicon of the internet. It joined the ranks of "Minecraft Won't Add Up" and other gaming parodies that defined a specific window of time.
It’s a marker of 2021. When the world was still weirdly transitionary, everyone was stuck inside, and we all just wanted to have a Victory Royale.
How to find the "Official" version today
If you’re looking for the song now, it’s a bit of a scavenger hunt. Because of the copyright issues mentioned earlier, there are dozens of "fake" uploads on Spotify.
The best way to experience the "authentic" version is still the original YouTube uploads or the official lyric videos released by Leviathan. Beware of the "remastered" versions that change the beat—they usually lose that lo-fi charm that made the original so endearing in the first place.
Practical Steps for Aspiring Creators
If you’re a creator looking at the success of Chug Chug With You and thinking about making your own parody, learn from Leviathan’s journey.
- Check your samples: If you use a famous melody, you likely won't be able to monetize it on streaming platforms without a license.
- Embrace the "cringe": The reason this song worked is that it was earnest. It wasn't trying to be cool.
- Platform matters: Start on TikTok or YouTube Shorts where copyright rules for short clips are slightly more lenient than on full-length streaming services.
- Engage with the memes: Leviathan leaned into the joke, which helped him maintain control of his narrative rather than being a victim of the internet's mockery.
The story of the song is a reminder that the internet doesn't always want high-budget, polished content. Sometimes, it just wants a kid with a headset singing about his favorite game over a borrowed beat. It’s raw, it’s real, and honestly, it’s kind of a bop.
To dive deeper into this era of internet history, you should look into the rise of "Hyperpop" and how it intersected with gaming culture during the early 2020s. Understanding the technical side of how these songs are pitched and mixed can give you a much better appreciation for why they sound the way they do. Also, keep an eye on copyright law changes regarding "transformative use" in music, as the rules are currently being rewritten by cases just like this one.