"We honor the founder"— Internet pays tribute to Missy Elliott amid viral Hawk Tuah girl craze

Last week, the phrase “Hawk Tuah” became viral on social media. It began as an onomatopoeia and refers to the sound a person makes while collecting saliva and then spitting it out.

The expression garnered traction on June 11 when YouTuber duo Tim and Dee TV posted an Instagram Reel of one of their late-night Q&A sessions with strangers. In response to a question posed to two women in the streets of Nashville, Tennessee, one quipped:

"Oh, you gotta give him that 'hawk tuah' and spit..."

The seemingly explicit nature of the answer, along with the woman’s distinct Southern accent and playful stress on the phrase quickly gained the attention of the interviewers along with the people on the internet.

Amid this, some netizens have pointed out that rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer, Missy Elliott, was one of the first to use the onomatopoeia even though she did not use the exact phrase. In her 2001 hit song Get Ur Freak On, Elliott rapped:

“Quiet (Shh), hush your mouth/ Silence when I spit it out/.../ (Holla) Ain't no stoppin' me.”

In the wake of this, here are some of the comments from X acknowledging Missy Elliott as the original creator of the onomatopoeia.

“We honor the founder,” a person wrote.

Netizens react to the viral phrase (Image via X/ @megantisocial, @NatiTalks)

“Miss Elliott was the original Hawk Tuah girl BTW,” another person wrote.

“Missy Elliott better be getting royalties off of that Hawk Tuah stuff,” a netizen wrote.

“Missy Elliott said ‘Hawk Tuah’ first,” another netizen wrote.

“Missy Elliott was telling us to Hawk Tuah back in 2001,” one person wrote.

“Missy Elliott the OG Hawk Tuah,” an individual wrote.

“The fact that this generation doesn’t give credit to the queen of ‘Hawk Tuah’ Missy Elliott has me rolling my eyes daily,” another individual wrote.

Notably, the video of Tim and Dee TV gained over 9 million views in less than a week and made the woman famous, with people referring to her as the Hawk-Tuah girl or "spit on the thang."

The internet has been busy speculating her identity with two names emerging. X user LD Basler (@ArmaLite15OU812) claimed she was Katie Vickers, a 25-year-old resident of Paducah, Kentucky.

Meanwhile, a Belfast, Tennessee-based apparel brand called Fathead Threads identified her as their local customer Hailey Welch, and even shared images of her autographing their hats. TikToker Elayna Robinson was also among the people whose names came up during the viral hunt.

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All you need to know about Miss Elliott’s ‘Hawk Tuah’ song

In March 2001, Missy Elliott released her popular song Get Ur Freak On as the fifth track of the third studio album Miss E… So Addictive. It contained the onomatopoeia not in exact phrase but in spirit, in both the lyrics and the music video, and explored the fusion of bhangra and dancehall pop.

It was co-produced and co-wrote by Timbaland, Tim Mosley, and Missy, and charted at the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 list following its release. The iconic song even earned Elliott multiple honors, including a Grammy Award in 2002 for Best Rap Solo Performance.

In 2014, Get Ur Freak On was remixed and used as the original soundtrack of the bromance comedy Neighbors starring Zac Efron and Seth Rogen among others. Several other musical artists and bands also released their versions of the song including KT Tunstall, Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra, Eels, and more.